Artifice
by Squirrel Stone
Summary: Adrien had never completely given up on seeing his mother again, but it was... close. He was starting to lose faith, and with Hawkmoth throwing akumas at him and Ladybug nearly every day, it was hard to stay afloat. That all changes with one call from Charles De Gaulle Airport security.
1. Someone's inthe Mood to Piss Off Gabriel

**Someone's in the Mood to Piss Off Gabriel**

At night, Adrien dreamed vividly. Sometimes he was in China, others in America, others in the arctic, and they varied across millennia. Plagg's influence, he suspected, though he'd have to ask Ladybug if she had similar experiences to be sure.

This time, he was in a church, watching the sunset through a western-facing rose window. Shouting down below caught his attention, and he turned around, looking over the railing at a man and a woman in clothes that belonged in a renaissance fair.

_1239_, Adrien's mind supplied. _The year is 1239._ Had he been awake, he would have questioned this knowledge and where it came from, but dreams didn't have to make sense. They just were.

"I cannot believe you're content to just sit around while innocent people are burning," the woman snapped. Her blonde hair and sapphire blue dress blew back behind her from an otherwise undetectable wind caused by her own rage. Her voice was so familiar yet so foreign. Adrien tilted his head, watching her and trying to get his brain to cooperate. He leaned forward, bracing himself on the brand new stone railing.

The man shook his head. "You forget that my last chosen burned along with the others," he replied, just as angry. "If we intervene, the humans will know about us, and the last time our kind were worshipped, our father nearly destroyed the world. Besides, even if you're able to stay hidden, you only have a year left before you-"

The sound of a door opening made the two straighten up, the man in particular adjusting his black tunic and smoothing his equally dark hair.

Another man walked up, a bright red cross on his white tunic. "Lady Foy, what brings you here today?" he asked. "You're not a woman to sin so often you must confess every day."

The woman smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, cardinal," she assured him. "I'm just here to offer something my mistress found to your sacristan here. It's a chalice that's been passed down in her family for generations."

The man in black gave her a smile back, but his was so clearly forced while hers seemed almost perfectly natural. "Thank you, Lady Foy. We are honored to have your mistress's addition."

"I'm certain you are." The woman turned to leave, but before Adrien could see her, a beeping noise pierced his ears.

Adrien shot up in bed, eyes darting to his alarm clock.

A voice spoke out to him, and it took Adrien a moment to recognize it. "You okay, kid? Kid, you there?"

Adrien shook his head, snapping out of it as he turned to Plagg. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he replied. "Just a weird dream. It's nothing."

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Adrien, it's time to get up!" Nathalie called through the door. "Breakfast is in twenty minutes!"

"I'm awake!" he called back. He rubbed at his eyes, even knowing it would result in an extra few minutes in the makeup chair at his next photoshoot. Totally worth it.

"Ooo, someone's in the mood to piss off Gabriel!" Plagg noted. Though he slept or lazed around more often than he didn't, Plagg still picked up enough about modeling to know what kind of confrontation was to come.

Adrien rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed. "I'm not trying to piss him off," he insisted. "I'm just tired. Really… _really… tired_."

Plagg gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, kid. I know it would be easier if you and Ladybug could be on the offensive. At least then you'd get to make your own hours."

"No kidding," Adrien replied with a light laugh. He sat up again and stretched out, working up the will to get out of bed. "If only it were that simple."

"And don't forget you have a science test today," Plagg added in.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. Plagg didn't care about things like tests and being on time; in fact, he regularly encouraged Adrien to blow them off, the little chaos gremlin. "What are you, my keeper now?"

"No, but when you do well on your tests, you're in a better mood and give me more camembert."

Another laugh bubbled out of Adrien. "Alright, of course I do." He had no doubt that it was true; Plagg never passed up the chance for more cheese.

"Adrien!" Nathalie's voice called through the door again, and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Coming!" he yelled back, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. He got up and walked over to his closet, wiping the remaining sleep out of his eyes as he picked out an outfit. He got dressed in record time, Plagg being silent for once, and headed out into the dining room.

Nathalie placed a plate in front of him the second he sat down, then started reading off his schedule. "During your lunch break, you have a short autograph signing at the Louvre for their new exhibit, then after school you have fencing and Chinese- piano got pushed back because your instructor's daughter fell ill."

A dry laugh escaped Adrien before he could stop it. "Wow, a parent taking the day off to care for their sick kid. What a concept," he grumbled dryly. He knew better, knew that being the CEO of a fashion empire was a little different than being an at-home piano teacher, but still, the thought rubbed him the wrong way.

"You haven't been sick a day in your life," Nathalie declared, though they both knew it to be a hyperbole. He'd been stuck in bed the entire day after Christmas thanks to that little "stunt" he pulled, as she and his father called it. Admittedly, though, he wasn't that bad off; it could have been much worse. Nathalie's voice cut in, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Now, if you're done moping, you still need to eat breakfast before you leave. You'll probably only get a sandwich for lunch with the signing."

Adrien didn't need another cue to dig in. 'Only a sandwich' was usually accompanied by the unspoken 'if you're lucky and grab one before they vanish.' Breakfast and Nino sneaking him snacks were his saving grace on those days.

He barely had time to shovel all his food into his mouth before Nathalie started giving him orders, telling him to get in the car so he could get to school. He hopped into the back of the car and gave The Gorilla a smile before they took off.

"She does know it takes you longer to get in the car and get the car to school than it does for you to walk, right?"

Adrien pulled the lapels of his shirt in closer, checking to make sure The Gorilla hadn't heard. If he had, he certainly didn't let it show. Once he was certain he was in the clear, Adrien bent his head down to talk to the kwami hiding in his shirt. "What can I say? My dad's overprotective; I'm the last thing he has of mom."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before," he said dismissively, waving the comment off with his paw. "I'm just saying. Maybe let me go a few rounds with him and we'll see what he lets you do."

A snort escaped Adrien, and he covered his mouth as he checked for a reaction from The Gorilla in the rearview mirror. Again, nothing. He lowered his hand to speak again. "I think you'd give him a heart attack."

"Or maybe he'd just roll with the fact that a kwami was beating him up."

"Like he'd even know what a kwami is."

A shrug. "You never know, kid. You never know. You humans have a way of coming by information you're not supposed to with alarming accuracy."

Adrien smirked. "It's one of our best paw-lities."

"Bad. Even for you."

The car came to a stop, and Adrien got out, Nino immediately coming up to greet him. Gabriel could have enough problems with Nino to write a song, but at least The Gorilla knew better. Speaking of…

"Thanks!" Adrien called over his shoulder before he shut the door and turned to head inside with Nino.

"What's shaking, dude?" Nino asked. "You were smiling like a real human being when you got out of the car."

Adrien laughed and bumped Nino with his shoulder good-naturedly. "Just came up with a pun to use on the Ladyblog."

Nino groaned and bumped Adrien's shoulder back. "You're kidding me! Alya's gonna ban you if you keep it up. People have started joking you're actually Chat Noir on there."

"But sir, that's my emotional support fanblog," Adrien joked, causing them both to burst out laughing. "C'mon, before we're late." Adrien let Nino go in first, trying to give himself a second to calm down his racing heart. Okay, so he'd definitely have to tone it down on the puns, but surely someone else was making them left and right, too, right? Just… emulating Chat Noir. Yeah, that's what he'd say. And then pray no one made the connection.

Adrien slid into his seat just as Mme. Bustier clapped her hands, calling the class to order.

The morning seemed to fly by, Adrien too distracted by his dream the night prior to focus. He could have sworn he knew the couple arguing in the church, but the longer and harder he thought on it, the farther away the memory seemed to get.

"Adrien!"

Adrien gasped and jerked his head up, seeing Nathalie staring down at him in front of his desk. "Nathalie?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" His eyes darted to the clock, and he saw that it was only ten. "What's wrong?"

"I've said your name three times; you weren't given permission to come to class just to daydream," she said curtly. She took a breath, pursing her lips in frustration. "Something's come up. Your father's in the car."

"My father?" Adrien echoed. "What's so important that he needs to pick me up himself?" Well, he wasn't _exactly_ picking him up, but this was the closest he'd ever come to doing so.

Nathalie just started packing his things into his bag for him. "We'll discuss it in the car," she declared. She handed his packed bag out to him, and he stood up, head still spinning.

Adrien spared a glance back at his class, giving them a small, nervous smile. "I'll see you all tomorrow!" he cheered, trying to hide the worry in his voice. He said it. He said he'd see them tomorrow, so he'd have to come back, right? It was a constant fear Adrien had, getting pulled out of school permanently with no warning, no rhyme or reason. God, he hoped that wasn't what was happening.

He got in the car to see that his father really was there (part of him had expected him to just be on a skype screen), talking on the phone.

"No, I don't care how she got there, but she needs to stay there so I can speak with her," Gabriel bit out. "You cannot keep us from walking in; we are _going_ to see her, and anyone who tries to get in our way will be met with a lawsuit so huge France will have to revive debtors' prisons so they can pay them off!"

Adrien didn't dare say anything, knowing it was a surefire way for his schedule to mysteriously get bogged down with a new extracurricular or ten. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on, though. Probably just some gripey model who didn't want to share a dressing room with his set mates, but it could be something as big as design theft. Nothing would get his father fired up like attempted design theft.

What took him by surprise was that they were headed towards the airport. He didn't realize until they'd cleared the city itself, but once they hit the A1, it was painfully obvious. With his theory formed in his head, Adrien wondered what the hypothetical thief had done to get caught by airport security. Something obvious, he supposed.

Adrien didn't dare utter a word as his father continued making calls, all the way up until they walked into the airport's security lockup.

"Stay here," Nathalie declared as she and Gabriel headed towards a man in a suit who looked like he'd been expecting them.

Adrien turned to wander around the lobby, but he was met by The Gorilla's chest. "Right," he muttered. "Staying here." He plopped down in a chair, glancing at the door to one of the interrogation rooms. Maybe if he focused…

"My name is _Helena. Oxley._ It's always _been. Helena. Oxley._ Now please, let me go!"

Sure enough, Adrien could hear the people inside talking, even through the door. One of the benefits of Plagg's powers that bled over into him even when he wasn't transformed was the super hearing. The woman talking had an obvious American accent, but it still sounded somewhat familiar.

"You're telling me you've never heard of Emilie Agreste?" another voice, likely an officer, asked.

Wait, what? That blew his design theft theory out of the water. Did this woman have information on his mom?

"No," the woman replied dismissively. "Who is she?"

"She went missing over a year ago," the officer explained. "I'm the lead detective in her case." Now Adrien recognized the voice. It was Detective Mallory; he'd had plenty of conversations with her over the past year and a half.

There was a brief pause before the woman asked, "What? And you think I had something to do with it? I've never even been to France, much less Paris!" She paused again.

"That's not what I'm saying at all." Detective Mallory's tone never wavered, remaining calm even when faced with her interviewee's frustration. "I want you to look at a couple of pictures, see if you recognize them."

"…Fine." A minute passed before the woman said, "I've never seen them before in my life. Who are they?"

"They're Gabriel and Adrien Agreste, Mrs. Agreste's husband and son."

The woman huffed in frustration. "Why would you show me their pictures after I _told you_ I've never been to Paris?"

A man in a lab coat passed in front of Adrien and knocked on the door of the interrogation room, and Detective Mallory opened the door ajar. "The prints match," he said quietly.

"Thank you." Detective Mallory closed the door again, and Adrien heard the scraping of a chair on linoleum, then the sound of a stack of papers hitting the table- maybe a file. "Miss Oxley, this is a photograph of Emilie Agreste the day she went missing."

A long silence filled the room before the woman spoke again. "This is a joke, right?"

"Adrien?"

Adrien jerked his head to look at his father, standing in front of him with a DGAC agent. Gabriel moved and slowly sat down next to him. "Adrien, son, I'm sorry to have pulled you out of school for this. It looks like-"

"This is bullshit!" Adrien looked to the door as it opened, but he only saw the arm of a woman as she yelled at Detective Mallory, holding the door open so she could make her escape. "If I'm not under arrest, I'm leaving." She turned, and finally Adrien saw her face.

"Mom?"


	2. M Large and In Charge

Thank you for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter as well!

**M. Large and In Charge**

Helena bounced her leg up and down as the plane taxied to the gate, trying (and failing) to calm her nerves.

"I'm telling you, you should've just had a drink," her seatmate declared, shaking her head. "It really would've helped."

"Not. Interested," Helena grit out. After spending nearly eight hours trapped next to her, she was getting more than a little antsy.

Not taking the hint, the woman kept on talking as the plane stopped. "So was this your first time flying? It looks like your first time flying. I would know; I've seen them all. My husband's in Paris half the time for work, so I thought I'd surprise him, you know? And we could go out and have dinner and-"

"Your husband's screwing his secretary," Helena declared coldly, right as the fasten seatbelt light turned off. She grabbed her bag and jumped into the aisle, marching up it with a look on her face that threatened to push anyone in her way. She could still hear the woman's outraged remarks a dozen rows down, and Helena sure as hell didn't want to be there when she realized it was true.

She got out of the gate and down to customs before she dared to stop. Waiting in line, she put a hand over her heart, feeling it race beneath her chest. This would end badly, she knew. Like that time in third grade when she-

"Madame?"

Helena jerked her head up, realizing the line had moved forward substantially while she hadn't, leaving a gap between her and the DGAC agent. She walked up to the counter, passport in hand. "Sorry," she muttered. "Distracted."

"That's perfectly fine," the agent replied. "Do you have anything to declare?"

"No," Helena said with a shake of her head. "Just me and my clothes."

"Alright." The agent nodded and took her passport, looking it over. After a moment, her customer service smile faded into a frown, her forehead scrunching up and her eyebrows furrowing together. "Mme. Oxley, I'm going to need you to step aside please."

Helena's expression instantly mimicked the agent's. "What? Why?"

"Please, just step aside, madame."

Reluctantly, Helena did as told while the agent spoke into her radio, turning her head so Helena couldn't hear her through the glass. Soon, a security guard approached the counter, spoke with the agent for a moment, then headed over to Helena.

"Mme. Oxley?"

"Yes." Helena eyed him with suspicion, wondering where this was going. There couldn't be anything wrong with her passport, right? She'd gotten it checked before she left the States.

"I need you to come with me."

Helena's jaw dropped as the security guard gently took her arm and started leading her away. "What's going on?" she demanded. "I haven't done anything wrong!" She got no response. "_Seriously?_"

The guard led her to a grey-walled room and gently pushed her inside, but Helena was already _beyond pissed_. "What is happening?" she demanded. "If I'm being held, I deserve to know why."

"Someone will be with you shortly," the guard declared. He yanked Helena's bag out of her hand, ignoring her indignant shout, and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

"Hey!" Helena yelled through the door. "That's mine!

Helena let out a frustrated groan and pulled her wallet and keys out of her pocket, slamming them down on the table. No need for her to do that, really, but damn if it didn't feel good. She reached into her pocket to remove her phone as well, but felt only the flat fabric. "You've gotta be kidding me," she grumbled, bracing her head in her hand for a moment as she began pacing the length of the small room.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She'd barely been able to pull together enough vacation time to leave, spend a day in Paris, and get back, and that was after working there for… what? A year? So she'd be fired, if not for missing work, then for getting arrested, and it would be next to impossible to find a new job. Getting even the job she had was hard enough; no one wanted to hire her because-

"What the hell do you mean by that!?"

A voice from beyond the door caught Helena's attention, and she turned to it, trying to hear what was going on outside. She could see it in her mind, the rude security guard talking with some crochety old guy in a suit about why she was there.

"I _mean_ the DGAC agent recognized her," the guard explained calmly. "She didn't say how or who she was, though. Just told me to get her in holding and call you."

The older man scoffed, ready to lay out a condescending remark. "When I find out just who you two thought was so important that I had to be called, you're both fired." He walked over to the door, and Helena backed up, not wanting to be caught listening in. The door unlocked and opened, and sure enough, it was a man in his mid-sixties in a navy-blue suit, a sour look on his face.

"So am I free to go or what?" Helena asked. "Like, I gotta job to do back stateside, and I want to make the most of my tourist time."

The grumpy look on the man's face fell to one of shock and awe as she spoke. For a moment, he was silent.

Helena waved her hand in his face. "Hello? M. Large and In Charge? Can I go?"

Slowly, the man shook his head and closed the door, pivoting to look at the security guard again. His brusque tone from early was gone, replaced by solemnity. "Carver? Call Paris police," he said calmly. "Let Detective Mallory know her case from last year just got a new lead."

The door locked again, and Helena groaned in frustration. She was never getting out of there. And now she had to wait for some cop to boot.

Reluctantly, Helena sat down in the chair and leaned back, closing her eyes. At the very least, she could get some sleep she missed out on during the plane ride.

"I hate having to do this."

Helena blinked a few times, seeing an image of herself with a taller man, a boy of only two or three in his arms. She wore a long, sapphire-blue dress, and the other two wore adorably matching tuxedos. It was the man who had spoken.

"He shouldn't be out in the world like this. It's too much exposure."

"I'm more afraid of what would happen if we left him with someone we don't know," her doppelgänger replied. She straightened the man's tie, then the boy's. "Besides, maybe Adrien will get the chance to meet someone his own age." She smiled, tilting her head. "Would you like that, Adrien?"

The boy nodded excitedly, then reached out for the woman.

The man chuckled and passed the boy over to her. "Aren't you just the little mama's boy?" he joked as the woman accepted him and let him sit on her hip. "That's good. She has a lot to teach you."

The blonde woman smiled and brushed a strand of hair away from the boy's face. "But not tonight, my little kitten," she added in. "Tonight, we're going to meet Mayor Bourgeois for the city dinner."

The boy perked up. "Dinner?"

"Not just yet," the man replied with a laugh. "But soon, I promise."

_Thud_.

Helena woke with a gasp, jerking back and tipping her chair over in the process. She hit the floor before she could comprehend what was happening, and she found herself staring at the ceiling. All thoughts of her dream vanished from her mind.

A second later, a woman in a suit walked over, peering down at Helena with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright, Mme. Oxley?"

Helena nodded slowly, squinting her eyes and putting the heel of her hand on her forehead. Whether it was because it hurt from the fall or the bright lights, she wasn't entirely sure. "You must be Detective Mallory," she said. Helena turned to get up off the floor, then righted her chair. "So am I getting out of here or what?"

The detective kept a straight face, but Helena could feel her discomfort; it hung in the air like a weight ready to pull her underwater. Instead of answering Helena's question, she gestured to the chair. "Why don't you have a seat, Mme. Oxley?"

Quickly, Helena went over her options in her mind. She didn't hear the door lock after it was closed again, so she could always run out, but she'd surely be caught within seconds if the detective didn't lay her out the moment she tried. No, violence wasn't the answer this time, so she'd have to go to her other favorite conflict resolution tactic. Snark. "Like I'm in tenth grade going to the principal again." She sat down, staring up at Detective Mallory. "So what did I do? Write 'for a good time, call Amy Mathison' in the boys' bathroom?"

Hey, she never said it was a good tactic.

"Your name is Helena Oxley?" Detective Mallory asked.

Helena looked around the room, wondering if the security camera was hooked up to a full-on camera crew in the next room. This had to be a reality show or something. Finally, her eyes settled back on Detective Mallory. "Yeah, that's what it says on my passport."

Detective Mallory tilted her head, her stoic face revealing nothing. "Has it always been Helena Oxley?"

"What else would it be?"

For a moment, Detective Mallory looked her over before deeming that to be a suitable answer. "What brings you to Paris, Mme. Oxley?"

Helena shrugged. "I dunno," she replied nonchalantly. "Thought I'd check out the city. See if the rumors about Mothman were true."

"It's Hawkmoth, not Mothman."

"Hawkmoth, Mothman, same difference," Helena dismissed with a wave of her hand. "They've both never been seen and make crazy people sound even crazier."

"And you wanted to see that?"

"And the superheroes. Victory kind of lost her appeal when she outed herself as Camilla Hombee. Now she can't even do her thing cause of the press and the secret service."

Detective Mallory raised an eyebrow. "You sure do know a lot about your local superheroes."

Helena scoffed. "I work in D.C. Of course I know about her. She lives in the big, white house a block over from northwest H Street."

Again, Detective Mallory gave her a suspicious, almost concerned look. "And you said your name is Helena Oxley."

"Of course it is."

Apparently, that was the wrong answer. A chain of events had been set off. Over and over again, Detective Mallory got Helena on one line of questioning, only to come back around to the same thing every. Damn. Time.

_What is your name?_

Eventually, she couldn't help it. She snapped.

"My name is _Helena. Oxley._ It's always _been. Helena. Oxley._ Now please, let me go!" Helena glared at the woman in front of her, her blood pressure rising. They'd been at this for, what, an hour now?

Detective Mallory tilted her head, doubt obvious on her face. "You're telling me you've _never_ heard of Emilie Agreste?" she asked.

"No," Helena replied shortly. "Who is she?"

"She went missing over a year ago," Detective Mallory explained. "I'm the lead detective in her case."

Oh. Oh this was bad. Helena had seen enough cop shows to know where this was going. "What? And you think I had something to do with it? I've never even been to France, much less Paris!"

"That's not what I'm saying at all." Detective Mallory's tone never wavered, remaining calm even when faced with her interviewee's frustration. "I want you to look at a couple of pictures, see if you recognize them."

Helena hesitated, then her curiosity got the better of her. "…Fine," she agreed. Detective Mallory pulled a couple of photos out of a file and placed them in front of Helena. In the first was a man in a business suit, a frankly sour look on his face. The second held a boy smiling at the camera, the definition of picture perfect. Helena shook her head. "I've never seen them before in my life." She looked to Detective Mallory. "Who are they?"

"They're Gabriel and Adrien Agreste, Mrs. Agreste's husband and son."

Helena let out a half laugh. "Why would you show me their pictures after I _told you_ I've never been to Paris?" She flopped back in her chair and braced her elbow on the back of it.

Someone knocked on the door at that, and Detective Mallory walked over, opening the door ajar. Helena could just barely see a man in a lab coat outside, and behind him, a teenage boy sat; the lab tech blocked his face. "The prints match," he said quietly, barely more than a whisper.

Helena raised an eyebrow. Whose prints matched what? Probably hers, but what could she have left them on that would warrant police action?

Detective Mallory nodded. "Thank you," she said, then closed the door again. She walked over to the table Helena sat at and pulled the chair across from her out, sitting down in it. She dropped her file folder onto the table and leaned against it. "Miss Oxley, this is a photograph of Emilie Agreste the day she went missing," she declared, opening the file as she did.

Helena looked to the photo, her blood running cold. Slowly, she sat up, unable to take her eyes off it. She knew the woman in the photo, of course; it was hard not to when she saw her in the mirror every day. "This is a joke, right?" she asked quietly, eyes darting between the photo and Detective Mallory. "I've never been to Paris, I don't have a husband or kid, and before today, I didn't even know Emilie Agreste existed. You can't just show me a photo of myself and say I'm her!"

There was no response for a second, so she scoffed and got up out of her chair, snatching up her wallet and keys before walking towards the door. Detective Mallory obviously wasn't going to give her any answers. She slammed the door open, then turned back to glare at the detective. "This is bullshit!" she snapped. "If I'm not under arrest, I'm leaving." She turned, only to run right into Gabriel and Adrien.

"Mom?"


	3. We Passed Unhealthy a Long Time Ago

Thank you for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter as well!

**We Passed Unhealthy a Long Time Ago**

Adrien slowly took a step towards Helena, then another. "Mom?" he repeated. "Is- is that really you? You're back?"

Helena looked around the room, very aware of the fact that every eye in the room was on her, waiting for an answer. Finally, she looked back down at Adrien. "I'm sorry, kid. My name's Helena."

In that instant, Adrien could feel his heart breaking, and when he looked up at her, Helena looked like she'd just accidentally kicked a puppy. He took in a shuddering breath; every painful emotion he'd felt upon learning his mother was missing flooded back to him.

He had to say something. Had to prove he was okay, had to… he wasn't sure what. "Oh." His voice cracked when he said it. "I-I'm sorry."

"Kid, I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine," Adrien cut in, taking in another shaky breath. "I… I should go." He turned and pushed past Gabriel, Nathalie, and The Gorilla, heading straight to the bathroom. He shut the door and locked it behind him, then headed over to the sink. He braced his hands on it, and the first sob escaped him, then another and another.

He felt a small paw on his shoulder and suddenly remembered there was one person's company he could never escape, even when all he wanted was to be alone. "It's okay," Plagg cooed, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Another sob bubbled up from him, and he pushed off the sink just long enough to lower himself to the floor. "I-I thought it- I thought it was her." He sniffed and reached up, grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser above him to wipe his face. "I thought she was back, I thought we'd be a family again."

Plagg nodded, rubbing Adrien's arm. "I know you did… I know you did."

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Go! Away!" Adrien shouted.

"Kid," Plagg whispered. "You've gotta face 'em eventually."

Adrien took in a shaky breath. "Does it have to be now?"

Plagg shrugged. "It's really up to you, but the longer you wait, the more likely they are to send you to inpatient therapy."

"Right," Adrien replied with a sigh. "And then I won't be able to help Ladybug." He breathed in deeply and stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. Plagg flew back into his pocket to hide.

"Adrien!" Nathalie called through the door. "Adrien, you have to come out someti-"

Adrien unlocked the door and opened it, cutting Nathalie off mid-sentence. "Can we go home now?"

Nathalie looked shocked for a moment, then looked to Gabriel, standing at the other side of the hall on his phone. Of course. After a moment, she looked back to Adrien and nodded. "Let's go."

Slowly, shoulders drooped, Adrien followed Nathalie out of the airport, getting back in the car where The Gorilla was waiting. He must've left when Adrien locked himself in the bathroom. Gabriel, of course, chose to stay behind and take care of some other business he had in the area. Typical.

"I know you're disappointed," Nathalie said, her eyes not once leaving her tablet.

Adrien let out a breathy laugh. "Disappointed does not begin to cover it."

Before Nathalie could respond, the car slammed to a stop, throwing them both forward in their seats. After taking a moment to collect herself, Nathalie leaned forward and tapped The Gorilla on the shoulder. "What is going on?"

The Gorilla let out a grunt of frustration and pointed ahead. Adrien followed his gaze and saw a car with long, spider-like legs made of metal crushing every other car in its way.

Adrien's jaw dropped. "We're in Le Bourget; Hawkmoth's never sent an akuma this far out before!"

"He hasn't," Nathalie replied through gritted teeth. Some underlying frustration Adrien couldn't quite pinpoint.

"We have to get out of the car; that's what it's going after!" Without a second thought, Adrien unbuckled his seat belt, opened the car door, and jumped out. He took off running away from the road, stopping only when he was out of sight of his bodyguard and his father's assistant.

Plagg flew out of his pocket the second he could. "They're gonna come looking for you," Plagg sing-songed.

"Yeah, so we better hope Ladybug is in the area, too," Adrien replied. "Plagg, claws out!" He felt the familiar destructive energy wash over him, and Chat Noir jumped out of Adrien's hiding place. He ran up towards the akuma, trying to get a read on it. Nothing stuck out immediately, other than the obvious.

"I spy-der with my little eye-der- whoa!" He narrowly ducked the akuma's arm (leg?) as it spun around.

"I am Le Commercer!" the akuma roared. "Every day, I have to deal with these tourists coming from CDG to Paris while I just want to get home!"

Chat Noir's brows furrowed in confusion. "It's not even noon."

"I WORK NIGHTS!"

Chat Noir put his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to _drive you away_!"

The akuma put his head (was the car its head?) in his hand (the end of one of its spider legs?) and groaned. "That was awful."

"Don't you mean _pawful_?"

The akuma swung two of its arms at him, and while Chat Noir managed to dodge the first, the second hit him in the stomach and threw him into an overpass. Chat moaned in pain as he dropped down onto the ledge, and he slowly began to push himself back up. "Oh… that sucked. That sucked a lot."

"The last thing I need is a damned _cat_ in the road blocking my way!" the akuma roared. It made to swing again, but Chat jumped out of the way and onto the overpass. Ladybug wasn't there yet and surely wouldn't be for a while. What the hell had possessed Hawkmoth to send an akuma that far out anyway? If his goal was to get the ladybug and black cat miraculous, he'd be better off sending them where he knew they were bound to show up…

Unless he knew Chat Noir would be in the area without Ladybug.

_Shit_.

That was not the kind of thing he needed to focus on at the moment.

Chat dodged another attack and jumped onto a light pole, biding his time with brilliant acrobatics in an attempt to keep the akuma distracted and away from civilians.

He couldn't help but lose track of time quickly; it wasn't uncommon for him and Ladybug to do so during fights. "Quick" fights took their entire two-hour lunch break, and long, drawn-out fights ended within ten minutes. He did, however, know he'd been at it for a while when Ladybug showed up.

"Oh thank God," he breathed when she dropped down beside him.

Ladybug looked him over worriedly. "You okay, kitty?" she asked. "How did you get here so fast?"

He was panting, he realized, when he couldn't quite catch his breath to answer. "I… was in… the area."

"Think you can make it a few more minutes?" Ladybug asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He nodded in response.

"Always."

Ladybug glanced at the akuma, then her grip on his shoulder tightened as she yanked them both out of the way. They landed on the median, in a heap of rubble from the akuma's warpath. "We need to end this now. Lucky Charm!"

A crowbar landed in Ladybug's hands. Not a second later, she said, "I've got it! Chat, can you get one of the legs?"

"On it, m'lady!" Chat leaped up, running towards the akuma. "Cataclysm!" He lunged, taking out one of the akuma's legs just as it leaned on it, causing it to collapse to the ground. Ladybug ran up and pried the car door open leaning over the driver to yank the fuzzy dice off the rearview mirror. As they tore, a little, purple-and-black butterfly flew out, and Ladybug cast out her yoyo to catch it.

Chat let out a sigh of relief as Ladybug captured and released the akuma, letting little ladybugs swarm the area.

"You okay?" Ladybug asked.

"Yeah," Chat sighed. "A little winded, but otherwise okay. Not sure what an akuma was doing this far out."

Ladybug shook her head. "Me neither," she replied. "I'm just hoping Hawkmoth doesn't plan on making this a regular thing."

"Same." He still hadn't quite caught his breath. "I suggest getting as far back to the city as you can before you turn back. I've got a ride."

"Alright," Ladybug said with a nod. "I'll see you later, kitty."

"See ya."

While Ladybug ran off towards Paris, Chat Noir jumped up onto the side of the road and checked around, making sure no one was looking before he detransformed.

Without hesitation, Adrien jumped back over the barricade and ran down the side of the street until he saw Nathalie and The Gorilla.

"Adrien!" Nathalie snapped. "Where did you run off to?"

"Uh, I- I thought that since the akuma was crushing cars, I should get out!" He laughed nervously. "I guess I kinda… got lost."

Nathalie let out a frustrated groan. "You're going to be the death of me," she sighed. "Come on, back inside. I've canceled your extracurriculars for the rest of the day so you can have some time to process, but your father will want to know you arrived safely, especially after that."

Process? Process wha- oh. Right. Any adrenaline from the fight fled Adrien's body, and his shoulders fell. He walked over to the car and got in, but it was still a good five minutes before they could move again as traffic recovered.

He was silent the entire drive home and through lunch, not daring to say anything that could spawn another breakdown. That woman… whoever she was… she looked so much like his mom; how could she not be her?

The thought repeated in his head as he returned to his room, knowing Plagg would fly out the second he got the chance.

"You know what would cheer you up? Giving me camembert!"

Adrien scoffed, a small smile playing at his lips as he headed over to the fridge by his bed. "Oh-kay, Plagg, sure." He pulled out a piece of camembert and held it up for Plagg. "You deserve it, making it through that car ride without saying anything."

Plagg smiled smugly. "I do, don't I?"

Adrien looked at Plagg for a moment, then took a deep breath and asked, "Do you think Hawkmoth knew I would be there on that road without Ladybug? Like, was he trying for a divide-and-conquer thing?"

"Doubt it," Plagg replied dismissively. "Odds are he was in the area when something happened to upset him enough to make him want to akumatize someone. Just be careful where you transform for a few weeks just in case."

Upset _him_? "What do you mean 'upset him?'" Adrien asked. "He doesn't have to be upset to make akumas, does he?"

Plagg shook his head. "No, but there's probably a trigger that makes him decide when to akumatize people. Some are obviously scheduled, but the random ones- there's probably a stressor in his life causing him to lash out."

"Gee, that's healthy."

"He's making supervillains to hunt for jewelry, kid. We passed unhealthy a long time ago."

Adrien let out a frustrated, exhausted huff and flopped down on his bed. "I'm gonna take a nap before dinner, okay? Just… recover and process for a bit."

The smirk on Plagg's face softened, and he nodded at Adrien. "Get some rest, kid. You need it."

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Adrien spun around to see a woman in blue, her back turned to him, talking to a brunette woman in a black knight's uniform. _June 29th, 1613_. As with the night before, his mind provided a time all on its own.

The brunette accepted the woman's extended hand and stood up. "Thank you," she sighed. Then, a cough escaped her. She nearly fell over, but the woman in blue supported her. "Is it gone?"

The woman in blue nodded. "It is," she confirmed. "Kaalki is gone, too. We couldn't have done it without you, Anne."

The brunette, Anne, gave the other woman a smile, but her eyes showed sadness. "William won't be happy that his theater is gone."

"It had to burn. If it hadn't… who knows what would have happened."

Anne looked her up and down for a moment before saying, "You do." It definitely wasn't a question.

"I do. And it's not pretty."

Anne nodded slowly and sighed, only for another cough to come out. "Plagg, claws in," she managed to get out.

Adrien watched, eyes wide and mouth hung open as he watched his kwami fly out of Anne's ring. Plagg gave her a sympathetic smile. "You did well, kid."

"Thanks," Anne sighed. She looked at the ground, then back up to Plagg. "Was it the right thing?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Plagg's voice. "I've seen firsthand what happens when it doesn't."

_Beep- beep- beep- beep-_

Adrien woke with a gasp, yanked from his dreams. He rubbed at his face and looked at the clock. Seven a.m.… Had he really slept all night?

He reached out and hit the off button, pulling himself out of bed to get ready for another day.


	4. People Talk

Thank you all so much for your reviews; they mean the world to me.

**People Talk**

Helena looked through her wallet, cringing at how little money she had in it. She'd been able to get to Paris, but after that… it didn't look good. At least public transportation was cheap… enough.

Fourth arrondissement, a voice in the back of her head whispered. She had to stay in the fourth arrondissement.

"Why the hell do I need to stay in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Paris?" she grumbled to herself as she walked out of the metro. "Cause I'm crazy, that's why. Only crazy people spend their life savings on a one-day trip to Paris. God, I should've listened to Rosalie." She closed her wallet and stuck in back in her pocket, then adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

She'd barely made it three steps before being confronted by a man in a maître d' suit. "Mademoiselle Oxley?" he asked.

Helena tightened her grip on her backpack strap. "Gee, someone acting like I'm not forty; you must be a scam artist."

"Not at all, mademoiselle," the man said with a shake of his head. "My name is Jean; I'm part of the top staff at Le Grand Paris hotel just down the street. It's owned by the mayor, and he's asked that you spend your stay there, free of charge."

Helena looked the man up and down. "Lemme guess, the mayor's name is Gabriel Agreste?"

Jean shook his head again. "No, mademoiselle," he replied, "but he was the one who made the call in to my employer."

This was… tough. She didn't have enough money to afford even the cheapest sleazebag hotel, but this was definitely the start of a Criminal Minds episode. Then again, so was a woman sleeping on the streets in a strange city. "Fine," she finally agreed. "But if you plan on trying anything, I've got mace-" that was confiscated stateside by TSA- "and the phone numbers of two cops on speed dial-" she hadn't even gotten Detective Mallory's business card.

"I understand, mademoiselle, but you're safe with me." He held out his hand to take her bag.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Helena replied, sliding her other arm through her backpack strap as well. She followed after Jean, but her eyes kept darting around like she was expecting someone to come out and grab her, right up until they walked into the hotel.

Once there, a man with graying hair and a blue, white, and red sash walked up to them. "Thank you, Jean." He turned his attention to Helena and smiled. "Now, Mme. Oxley, I understand you'll be staying with us for the next day or so?"

"I know Gabriel called you," Helena declared simply. "He thinks I'm his MIA wife…" She looked him up and down. "I'm guessing you're drawing the same conclusion."

The man let out a hesitant noise and tilted his head to the side. "There is a certain… resemblance," he confessed. "My name is André Bourgeois; I'm the mayor of Paris and owner of this hotel."

Helena held out her hand. "Helena Oxley, though you already knew that obviously."

André let out a nervous laugh and shook her hand. "You certainly don't behave like Emilie Agreste…"

Helena's eyebrows shot up for a half a second, and she gave a fake smile. "You know why that is?" she asked, leaning in like she was about to tell him a deep, dark secret. In a whisper, she said, "It's cause I'm not her."

"Understood, Mme. Oxley," André replied. "It's a pleasure to have you here. We've put you up in one of our finest suites, and if you need anything, feel free to call room service. It's all free of charge." He held out a room key, but Helena seemed skeptical as she took it.

"Seriously?" she asked disbelievingly. "All of it? Free? No catch?"

André shook his head. "None," he confirmed. "We want you to feel welcome here, Mme. Oxley."

Before Helena could drop another scathing remark, a teenage girl came in, a purse on her arm. "Daddy, I'm ready for lunch," she said, paying Helena no mind. "It was the weirdest thing, though, Nathalie came and took Adrien out of school, and she made it sound like M. Agreste was waiting in the car for him."

André gave her a smile and nodded. "Yes, dear, that's because they were welcoming Mme. Oxley to Paris." He gestured to Helena, causing the teen to turn and look at her.

The blonde looked Helena over once or twice, then… "What the actual fuck?"

"Chloé, dear, is that any way to speak to our guests?" André asked.

"It is when they come in looking like the Ghost of Christmas Past," she replied, turning back to her father. "Daddy, does Adrien know his mom is back?"

"I did this at the airport, kid," Helena cut in. "Can't say the novelty isn't wearing thin, especially after being interrogated for hours about it. My name's Helena Oxley, not Emilie Agreste."

Chloé looked Helena over again. "And I'm the queen of England."

André cleared his throat nervously, getting Chloé's attention again. "Your friend and M. Agreste are aware of Helena's presence here in Paris," he said. "And I'm sure she's looking forward to getting to her room." He looked to Helena. "Room 387. Up the elevator and to the left."

Helena gave a nod, ready to get the hell out of there and to some privacy. "Thanks," she said. "See you around." She turned and walked away, ignoring Chloé's comments to her father about how 'that's obviously Mme. Agreste are you blind?' in favor of getting to her room without any further fuss.

She went up to her room and opened the door, only to find herself frozen once inside. The main room of the suite was bigger than her entire apartment, and she could see the Eiffel Tower through the window on the far side of the room. "Damn," she muttered, dropping her bag and walking around the room. "Pays to look like a missing woman, doesn't it?" The seating was all covered in blue velvet, and the end tables were made of oak, shined to perfection. She'd been in rooms like this before, but never for herself, never to enjoy the space.

Actually, no. She could enjoy the space later, she decided. She was still reeling from her flight and the events of the morning, and she damn well needed a nap.

Even as she made her way into the bedroom, determined to hit the mattress like a rock, she found herself, looking around, awed by the ornate décor and rich fabrics. She got in the bed under the covers, relishing in the feel of the silk against her skin. If only she could afford to get used to this.

* * *

Suddenly, Helena found herself standing on the streets at night, completely unconcerned by the abrupt change in scenery. She looked around, eyes landing on a brunette woman collapsed on the ground in front of her. Without thinking, she held out her hand, and the brunette looked up at her.

The brunette accepted the hand and stood up. "Thank you," she sighed. Then, a cough escaped her. She nearly fell over, but Helena instinctively reached out and supported her. "Is it gone?"

Helena nodded. "It is," she confirmed, the words falling out of her mouth without her say so. "Kaalki is gone, too. We couldn't have done it without you, Anne."

The brunette, Anne, gave her a smile, but her eyes showed sadness that Helena somehow knew deep within her bones. "William won't be happy that his theater is gone."

"It had to burn," Helena said with a shake of her head. "If it hadn't… who knows what would have happened."

Anne looked her up and down for a moment before saying, "You do." It definitely wasn't a question.

"I do. And it's not pretty." Helena wanted to stop, to think about what she knew and how she knew it, but she couldn't, the conversation continuing on without concern for her confusion.

Anne nodded slowly and sighed, only for another cough to come out. "Plagg, claws in," she managed to get out.

Helena watched as a small, black creature flew out of Anne's ring, and she knew she should ask what it was, why it was there, but the words didn't come. Plagg gave Anne a sympathetic smile. "You did well, kid."

"Thanks," Anne sighed. She looked at the ground, then back up to Plagg. "Was it the right thing?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Plagg's voice. "I've seen firsthand what happens when it doesn't."

* * *

Helena woke with a gasp, trying to put together what had woken her up.

_Knock, knock, knock… knock, knock, knock…_

Oh. That.

Reluctantly, Helena got out of bed and headed to the front door. She opened it without looking and saw the blonde girl from yesterday. "Hey…" she greeted the teen. "Chloé, right?"

"Yeah, and you already knew that," Chloé replied.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to keep knocking on someone's door after a couple of minutes?"

Chloé shook her head and shrugged. "No," she replied dismissively. "And honestly as this point, I don't care. Besides, if you don't get up now, you'll just end up with jetlag anyway."

"Gee, how considerate."

Chloé scoffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Look, you're the one who's only spending a day here; I figured you'd want to get the most out of it… Not that you didn't live here before."

Helena groaned and rubbed at her eyes. This again. "Look, kid, I'm not in the mood to deal with this 'you're really Emilie' bullshit," she declared. "You seem like a nice girl-"

"I'm not."

"-so why don't you just go back to school for your afternoon classes and leave me alone?"

Chloé raised an eyebrow at her. "It's seven a.m. School doesn't start for another half hour, and we both know your son is dying to see you."

Helena matched Chloé's expression and crossed her arms. "Adrien's not my son; I'm not Emilie Agreste, and I'm getting really tired of people saying he is and I am. Also, how did you know I'm only staying here for a day?"

"People talk," Chloé replied simply. "Mme. Agreste, Adrien needs you. I don't know why you're pretending to be this- this _Helena Oxley_ woman, but I do care about Adrien. He's my friend, and I'll do anything for him. Even if that means I have to get on a plane and follow you back to the States to keep bugging you about this."

Helena took a deep breath, rapidly losing patience with Chloé. "I'm not Emilie," she repeated. "I have never been and never will be Emilie. I was born and raised in America, I work in D.C., and I'm going back there tomorrow morning. End of discussion." Without waiting for a reply, she shut the door in Chloé's face and locked it with the deadbolt. Last thing she needed was for the girl to end up using some sort of all-access card and getting in anyway.

She walked over to the window and opened it, letting some fresh air in. Before she could stop herself, her mind wandered back to her dream. Anne and William… she knew those names. Kaalki and Plagg, too. She could still feel the urgency and exhaustion and _relief_ that hung in the air of the dream, and all of it felt so familiar. Like she'd been through it a dozen times before and would do it a dozen times more.

No, she told herself with a shake of her head. She wasn't there to get caught up on some dream. Actually, she wasn't entirely sure why she was there herself, but it wasn't for that. Maybe a massage would take her mind off it; after all, everything was on the house thanks to André- or had Gabriel paid for everything? Either way, it meant free stuff for her, and she wouldn't be getting it otherwise.

Going out into the city could wait until after lunch.


	5. Might As Well Enjoy the Perks

Thanks for the reviews, fam!

**Might As Well Enjoy the Perks**

Making it to school was… a _challenge_ that day. All Adrien wanted was to stay in bed and mope, but he'd feel better if he went to school. Right? Yeah, he had to.

He'd barely made it onto the school's property when Chloé ran up to him and wrapped him in a hug. He'd grown used to Chloé's tackle hugs as a child, but she must have started working out since becoming Queen B for the first time, because those hugs now came close to taking him down. Adrien groaned and took a step back to steady himself, but he wrapped her up in return all the same.

The second Chloé pulled back, she gave him a light swat on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "I would have been there for you in a heartbeat."

His brain couldn't connect the dots. "Tell you what?" he asked.

"That your mom's back," Chloé replied, the silent 'duh' hanging in the air.

Adrien sighed, shoulders falling into a slouch. "I slept all day after I got home from the airport yesterday," he explained. "She said her name's Helena Oxley, and she didn't even recognize me! I know it's not really her, but- wait. How did _you_ know?"

"Your dad called my dad and had a room set up for her," Chloé explained. "And there is no way in hell that isn't your mom. She looks _just_ like her. I don't know why she's pretending not to know, but it's totally her. She's in room 387; you should visit her during lunch."

"What?" Adrien asked. "Are you insane? She'll take one look at me and kick me out!"

Chloé shrugged. "It takes security time to get up to a room," she reasoned. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her in that time. Or at least get some closure. Ask her why she left."

Adrien stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "You're insane. And I'm insane for listening to you."

"You're gonna do it?"

"Yep. I'm gonna do it." A dry laugh escaped him. "Get ready for the waterworks after I get thrown out. I'm telling you, Chloé, there was _no_ recognition on her face when she saw me yesterday. Absolutely none."

Chloé gave him a soft smile and squeezed his arm. "I'll get the tissues, but I don't think you're gonna need them. She's gonna see her son and give up whatever façade she's got going on because she loves you."

Adrien sighed. "If you're sure…"

* * *

That brought him to room 387 of Le Grand Paris during his lunch break, heart pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath, then knocked on the door of the hotel room three times. A faint "just a minute!" came through it, and after a moment's wait, the door opened to reveal Helena. Her wet hair hung down around her face and onto the plush hotel robe she wore. "Oh," she said, clearly dismayed. "It's you."

"Were you expecting someone?"

"Room service," Helena explained, turning away from Adrien but holding the door open long enough to let him know he could come in. Despite her claim to not be related to Adrien, she sure was ready to make allowances for him. "If the mayor's gonna put me up here for free, I might as well enjoy the perks."

Adrien let out a breathy laugh. "It's… so weird hearing that from you." He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him, keeping his eyes on Helena and watching for any indication of a memory surfacing. "Mom hated handouts. Said the only thing she did to deserve them was know the right people."

Helena raised her eyebrows for a brief moment then let them fall again. "Well, when you blow your life savings on a ticket to Paris…"

"A ticket here cost you your life savings?" Adrien asked incredulously. "How is that possible?"

A scoff was the immediate answer. "I work as a maid in a place like this," she declared. "I had to have someone take over my lease to afford the trip. I'm going to a homeless shelter when I get back."

"Then why take it?" Adrien asked. "Why did you come if you couldn't even afford a place to sleep when you got here?"

Helena shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a desire to be here," she claimed, then shook her head. "I don't know. It sounded like a good idea at the time."

Adrien gave her a small smile. "Maybe it's because you knew you had a husband and son here who missed you," he supplied.

Helena just rolled her eyes. "Look, kitten, you need to get it through your head that I'm not your mom. I'm not Emilie Agreste. I get that you miss her, but you can't keep pushing your emotional turmoil off on me. Now get out before I call security and have your father come pick you up- how did you even know I was here?"

"Bold of you to assume my father would care," Adrien grumbled. "And Chloé told me. She's kind of a bitch, but she'll do anything for the people she cares about." He turned to leave, but stopped mid-stride and turned back as a thought occurred to him. "You called me kitten."

"So?"

A grin spread across Adrien's face, and he fought off the urge to hug Helena. "My mom always called me kitten. Always. Ever since I was little. You're her. You're my mom; you just don't remember!"

Helena put up a hand to stop him. "That doesn't mean anything, kit- _kid_." Neither of them missed her slip-up. "I am and always have been Helena Oxley, and that's not magically gonna change because I called you the same thing your mom used to. Now seriously, go, or I'm gonna call security. I mean it this time."

Adrien sighed in frustration, but he started backing up towards the door anyway. "I'm gonna prove it to you," he told her. "I don't how, but I'm gonna make you realize you are Emilie Agreste."

Helena had already turned away, fixing herself a glass of ice water. She waved behind her absentmindedly. "Good luck to ya, kitten- _kid_." She just couldn't stop herself.

Despite her sarcasm, Adrien left with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Helena Oxley was Emilie Agreste, and he was gonna make her believe it.

Once they made it to the elevator, Plagg flew out of his pocket. "This is a dangerous path, kid."

Adrien scoffed. "How could it be dangerous?" he asked. "Helena is my mom, and I'm gonna make her remember."

"Maybe there's a reason she doesn't remember being Emilie," Plagg suggested. "Ever think of that? Or maybe that she doesn't want to remember?"

"Why wouldn't she want to remember?" Adrien countered. "She and father weren't involved in anything suspect before she vanished; the most exciting thing we did was visit Tibet from time to time!"

Plagg frowned, but as the elevator dinged, he flew back into Adrien's shirt to hide. Adrien felt a hit to his chest, but he ignored it as he made his way to the hotel's cafe for lunch.

Chloé saw him approaching and raised an eyebrow, getting up from her table on the patio and walking over to him.

"You seem happy."

"She called me kitten," Adrien declared matter-of-factly. "She doesn't remember, I can tell, but she's my mom. She called me kitten."

Chloé smiled back and hugged him, something much gentler than her usual tackle-hugs. "The others are going to be happy to hear that," she declared. "Have you told them?"

Adrien shook his head. "I was waiting until I talked to Helena," he explained as he and Chloé walked over to their table. Nino, Alya, and Marinette greeted him with smiles and a hint of confusion, none of them really understanding why Chloé and Adrien had insisted on lunch at Le Grand Paris.

"Okay, dude, Chloé's kept her mouth shut for once in her life-"

"Hey!"

"-about this, so you'd better start talking." Nino, Alya, and Marinette's friendship with Chloé was still a fledgling little thing and primarily conditional upon Adrien's presence, so they knew if Chloé was dragging them to lunch with the knowledge that Adrien would be absent for any sort of time, it had to be important.

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to figure out how best to explain it. "Okay, so you know how I was pulled out of class yesterday morning?" When they all nodded, he told them his story, leaving out the part about his bizarre dream and any other magical aspects. Once he was finished, his friends were all left sitting there, mouths open in shock.

"Oh… my god," Alya said, the first to speak after he finished his tale. "That's… that's insane."

"You're telling me," Adrien replied with a nervous laugh. "I have no idea how I'm gonna get her to remember, though!"

Marinette seemed hesitant in her view on the whole thing. "Maybe she doesn't remember for a reason."

Nino scoffed and shook his head. "I don't think so," he replied. "You're just stuck in magic mode cause Hawkmoth's been sending out akumas for so long. Not everything has to have a supernatural reason, and that's the only reason Mme. Agreste wouldn't remember who she is 'for a reason.'"

Chloé let out a skeptical hum. "Yeah, I'm with Nino," she finally said. "I mean, the timing is weird, sure, but that doesn't mean it's related."

The other four furrowed their brows in confusion. "What do you mean 'the timing is weird?'" Adrien asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chloé countered. "She vanished, and a month later, Hawkmoth appeared. She comes back with no memory of who she really is, and an akuma is sent out on the freeway, further from the city than they've ever gone? Weird correlation, but not causation."

Still, the other four stared in awe.

"On second thought, I'm with Marinette, that's sketchy as fuck," Nino amended.

Adrien shook his head dismissively. "No, you were right the first time, and so is Chloé," he insisted. "It's weird, yeah, but it's not… it can't be…"

Alya reached out and grabbed his hand to ground him. "Chill, sunshine, no one's saying your mom is Hawkmoth is anything; it's just weird."

Adrien sighed, taking a moment to collect himself. "Yeah, I know," he breathed. "I'm just… a little stressed. She's leaving tomorrow, so anything I'm gonna do to bring back her memory needs to happen fast."

Before anyone else could respond, an explosion rocked the patio and threw the five to the ground, even going as far as throwing Adrien over the table. He moaned in pain and turned over onto his stomach, taking stock of the situation.

He looked around, but instead of the patio, he saw bare ground and barbed wire. Soldiers ran around, one barking orders to all the others that Adrien couldn't quite make out.

"Adrien? Adrien!"

Adrien blinked, and the warzone vanished in favor of the patio and Nino.

"Dude, what the actual fuck, I thought the akuma did something to you!"

"Huh?"

Nino just shook his head, concern in his eyes. "Dude… your eyes were blue for a second there."

Again… "Huh?"

"C'mon, we've gotta go!" Alya cut in, grabbing Nino and Adrien and pulling them both up.

Adrien looked over to see Chloé turning all the tables onto their sides to make a barricade, but Marinette was nowhere to be found. "I… uh… I'm gonna go find Marinette!" he claimed, taking off before anyone could stop him. He rounded the corner and checked around to make sure no one was watching before he opened his shirt for Plagg to fly out.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg zipped into the ring, leaving Chat Noir in Adrien's place, he took off running towards the fray and where he hoped the akuma would be. He got to the street just as Ladybug dropped down.

"Hey," he greeted her. "Any clue on where the akuma is?"

Ladybug shook her head. "I don't even know what it looks like," she replied. "I was eating lunch when the explosion hit."

"Me, too," Chat said with a nod. "Think a bug's eye view could give up a hint?"

"Worth a shot!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped up onto the roof, surveying the area for any sign of the akuma. "There!"

Chat followed Ladybug's pointer finger to see a garish, red-and-yellow akuma that looked like a Goodyear blimp and Deadpool had a baby. "Well that's… something." He looked back to Ladybug. "Ready when you are."

"Let's go!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped down, and Chat extended his baton to slam it down on the akuma's head. The akuma jerked, startled by the hit, but before Chat Noir could retract his baton, the akuma grabbed it and threw it- and Chat Noir- across the street.

As he crashed into a building, two images overlapped in his mind. The first was of a man in a blue costume, the second of himself in his civilian form, both getting thrown into a wall and collapsing to the ground. Another flash. The two of them picking up a knife- the man in blue from his belt, Adrien from one lying on a table- and threw it across the room with startling accuracy.

"Chat Noir! Chat! Chat!"

Chat Noir gasped and blinked, the vision disappearing so he could see Ladybug leaning over him. She let out a sigh of relief and hugged him, the same way she did whenever something happened that made her think he was a goner.

"M'lady?" he asked. "Wh-what happened?" He looked around at the pristine street. "Where's the akuma?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "Chat, the fight's over; you were totally spaced out after you hit the wall…" She hesitated, clearly not wanting to tell him something.

"What?" Chat asked. "What is it? What happened?"

Ladybug looked him over before meeting his stare. "Your eyes were almost completely blue, Chat. I thought the akuma had done something to you. You're lucky Carapace was here."

Instantly, Chat's mind flashed back to Nino's panic and how he'd said almost the exact same thing. "It's probably nothing," he said dismissively. He glanced over, realizing Carapace was standing a few feet away from him with a frown on his face, watching Chat Noir carefully. "How did you defeat the akuma so fast? And how did you have enough time to get him involved? I was only out of it for a couple of seconds."

Ladybug's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Seconds?" she parroted. "Chat, you were out for half an hour."


	6. Helly-Belly

Thank you all for reading and reviewing this!

* * *

**Helly-Belly**

After shutting the door on Adrien, Helena got dressed and pulled her still-wet hair back in a bun. She walked over to the desk in the suite's living room and turned on the computer on it, opening the web browser the second it popped up. Adrien had been… really adamant that she was Emilie, so maybe it was time to find out more about her.

She typed in the name and was immediately met with a litany of news reports discussing Emilie's disappearance, speculating what may have happened. She needed more than that, though. She needed…

_A Timeline of Gabriel and Emilie Agreste__'s Relationship_

That. That's what she needed. Helena clicked on the link and started reading through the article.

_Everyone knows about Emilie Agreste__'s mysterious disappearance and Gabriel Agreste's departure from the public eye, but even before that, they were oddly out-of-sight for two major figures in the fashion world. As it is, it's nearly impossible to find anything about Emilie before she started dating Gabriel in 2003. They married only two months after, and the arrival of their son Adrien in 2004 had many speculating it was a shotgun wedding._

_However, this cannot be the case. The timelines are close, but the don__'t quite add up. It's far more likely that Adrien was conceived on the honeymoon, and they just moved fast or had some sort of relationship before it came into the public eye._

_The Agrestes were careful to keep Adrien out of the limelight until his fifth birthday, when he appeared in a photoshoot with Emilie, modeling the Gabriel brand__'s fall line. Sources say Adrien loved the camera, but his parents were reluctant to let him model._

_2011 brought Nathalie Sancoeur into the Agrestes__' lives as Gabriel's personal assistant. There are conflicting sources saying that Nathalie was either close friends or bitter rivals with Emilie, with no confirmation either way from the family._

_On July 28th, 2016, Emilie vanished without a trace. Gabriel alerted the authorities the day of her disappearance, but they were unable to act until two days later when an official investigation was launched. As her husband, Gabriel was put under intense scrutiny, but was officially cleared of any wrongdoing on August 29th._

Helena frowned, trying to figure out why that date, July 28th, stuck out at her. It wasn't quite on the dot, but late July 2016 stuck out at her. She let intuition take over, and she walked over to her backpack. She pulled out her driver's license and passport, checking the dates on both.

_Date of Issue: 29 July 2016_

_ISS: 07/29/2016_

Helena closed the wallet and passport, a frown still on her face. Her license and passport were both issued the day after Emilie Agreste disappeared… but she had memories from before then! Of her childhood, her parents, her friends! It wasn't like she just spawned into existence on July 29th.

She shook her head, frustrated with herself for letting this kid get to her. She was there for a vacation- or at least that's what she told herself. She still hadn't managed to shake the feeling she was there for a reason.

* * *

The room shook, yanking Helena out of her thoughts, and she went out on the balcony to investigate. In the street stood a disaster of a monster, a pair of swords on its back and a series of… _something_ attached to its belt. The akuma removed one and threw it at a building, and as it exploded, Helena realized they were grenades. This was going to get ugly fast.

She didn't think, just ran back through her room and out the door, then down the stairs. As she neared the hotel's entrance, André stepped in front of her.

"Mme. Oxley, I'm so sorry you're having to see this part of our city," he said. "Rest assured, Ladybug and Chat Noir have it handled."

"No, they don't." Helena wasn't sure where the claim came from as she ran past him and out into the street. Instantly, she was overwhelmed. Smoke filled her lungs and burned her nose and throat, bright flashes blinded her, and glass shattering seemed to be the only thing she could hear. Despite this, her eyes were drawn to an elderly Chinese man removing a bracelet from his wrist and handing it off to a teenage boy. She dismissed the sight and continued looking around, seeing Chat Noir lying in the street, eyes bright blue and glazed over. Next to him was Ladybug, fending off the akuma's attacks and trying desperately to protect her partner.

Helena stepped forward just as Ladybug broke away, keeping the akuma's attention on her instead of Chat Noir. _Thank God._

Where did that thought come from?

"Ma'am, you need to get out of the street; it's not safe."

Helena turned her attention to her right and saw a young man- no, a teenager- in a green suit somewhat similar to Ladybug and Chat Noir's. She looked him up and down, her mind racing as she tried to pick out where she'd seen him before. "Right…" She took a step back, and the hero in green raced over to Chat Noir, trying to pull him out of his trance.

She looked to Ladybug again and saw that she'd somehow lost her yoyo and was fighting the akuma hand-to-hand. _Go left._ Ladybug ducked right and straight into the akuma's fist. She coughed, the breath knocked out of her, and Helena knew she wouldn't be able to recover on her own.

The akuma pulled out one of its swords, and Helena took off running. The akuma lifted its sword over its head. Helena lunged, tackling Ladybug out of the way of the sword as it came down. She grabbed a piece of glass off the ground and spun, throwing it at the akuma. It embedded itself in its hand, and Helena stood, pulling Ladybug up and running into a building as the akuma recovered.

"You… shouldn't… have done that," Ladybug declared, coughing intermittently.

"I had to; it would have killed you if I hadn't," Helena insisted. "Are you okay, kid?"

Ladybug nodded, steadying her breath, then asked, "Who are you?"

"Helena Oxley."

The reaction was not entirely dissimilar to the reactions she'd gotten from everyone else in Paris, but Ladybug managed to reign it in before mentioning Emilie. "Stay here until the akuma's been defeated," she finally said.

"SHELTER!"

Ladybug cursed under her breath, and they both looked out the window to see Carapace holding up a shield against the akuma, Chat Noir laying on the ground behind him. She looked back to Helena. "Stay," she repeated before running off into the battle once more.

"You okay, lady? That was intense!"

Helena nodded, paying the speaker no mind as she watched the rest of the battle. In minutes, Ladybug captured the akuma and purified it before setting the world back to normal. Helena walked out of the building as Carapace and Chat Noir left, and Ladybug noticed her, walking over.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" she asked. "Your accent- you must not be used to this."

"I'm okay; you're the one people should be worrying about," Helena insisted. "You're… what, fifteen? I bet your birthday was just last month!"

Ladybug blinked, obviously caught off guard. "I'm fine," she replied. "This is my job. You shouldn't get involved; it's dangerous."

Helena scoffed "I could say the same to you, kid."

Again, it was clear that something she said had put Ladybug off. "No one's gotten my exact age before, much less been so sure of it. The closest person is someone who'd spent over a year trying to figure out my identity."

"Um…" Helena stalled, trying to think up a reason, only to realize she didn't have one. "Lucky guess."

Ladybug's earrings beeped, and she winced. "I have to go. Don't get involved in any more akuma fights!"

Helena watched as Ladybug swung away, but her mind still raced with adrenaline. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, but when she felt someone bump into her, she snapped out of it.

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am- Helena."

Helena looked to the man who bumped into her and saw none other than Gabriel. "Oh, uh… Gabriel, fancy seeing you here." She let out a nervous laugh and felt her heart flutter for a reason completely unrelated to the fight.

Gabriel smiled at her. "I do live around the corner," he teased.

"You do?"

"I do," Gabriel confirmed. He seemed to hesitate for a minute, then said, "There's a gala I have to go to tonight, and I would love some company. Would you like to be my plus one?"

"Uh…" Helena wasn't sure why she didn't immediately turn him down. She didn't know this man, just that his missing wife happened to look a lot like her, but still she couldn't say it. Something inside her pulled her to him. "I don't have anything to wear for a fancy gala."

Gabriel laughed a little. "I'm a designer, Helena," he said, "I think I can find you something."

_Say no, say no, say no._ "Sure. I'd love to."

"I'll have my assistant drop off a dress, and I'll pick you up at seven. What's your room number?"

"387."

"I can't wait."

* * *

As he walked away, Helena's rapidly drifted to _why did I do that what the hell is wrong with me he__'s gonna get his hopes up and think I'm Emilie_, but she squashed them down as she made her way back to her hotel. What the hell was she doing?

When she got back and saw the computer, still open to an article about Emilie and Gabriel, she knew. She had a life she had to get back to, but she also needed confirmation of it from before July of 2016. It had been years since she spoke to her parents, but she remembered their number with ease; once she talked to them, she might be able to get the numbers of some of her old school friends, figure out just what was going on between her and Emilie.

Helena walked over to the hotel's phone and picked it up, dialing in that familiar number and waiting for the ringing to stop.

"Hello?" It was an exhausted, frail-sounding man on the other end, and Helena couldn't help but wince. Dad hadn't sounded that bad last time she talked with him. Then again, she reasoned, it was also around five in the morning there.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted, a smile forced onto her face.

Instantly, the man's tone changed from tired to absolutely ecstatic. "Helena!" he cheered. "Oh, it's so good to hear from you, darling! How are you doing today?"

"I'm good, Dad," she replied. "Uh, look, I was wondering if… if you and Mom had another kid? Or… somehow knew a woman in Paris named Emilie? She's about my age."

The man laughed. "Don't be silly, Helly-Belly. You know you're an only child- and a rebellious one at that; there's no way your mother and I could have handled two of you!"

Helena let out a sigh, whether one of frustration or relief, she wasn't sure. "Yeah… right, of course, I just-"

"Who is this?" Helena was cut off by an angry woman, one who sounded around the same age as the man but in better health. Again, she asked, "Who is this?"

"Mom, it's me," Helena explained. "I know we haven't talked in a while, but-"

"Whatever the hell kind of scam you're running, you can fuck right off with it," the woman snapped. "My daughter died in a car crash three years ago."


	7. Well Tough Shit for Him

Thank you for the reviews everyone! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

**Well Tough Shit for Him**

Chat Noir shook his head, trying to comprehend what Ladybug had just said. "Half an hour?" he repeated. "How is that possible? What I saw only took-" He stopped himself. "I think I need to talk to the Guardian."

"I'll go with you," Carapace declared. "I need to return the bracelet, anyway."

Chat frowned, eyebrows furrowing together. "Don't you usually give your miraculous back to Ladybug?"

"Not this time." Carapace took a deep breath, a stern look still on his face. It looked so… wrong on him, so out of place. "I've only got a minute left. Let's go, dude."

"Carapace," Ladybug cut in, shooting him a glare.

Carapace let out a frustrated huff. "I figured out who he is, okay?" he said. "And he needs to know who I am for this conversation to work. I know we're not supposed to, but I've gotta. I'll get the bracelet back to the other guy while I'm at it."

"Am I missing something?"

"No."

"Yes."

Ladybug and Carapace glared at each other, and Chat wondered just what he had missed. "Ooookaaayyyy… we'd better get going so neither of you transform back in front of everyone."

Carapace nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "You know where we're going?"

"I do," Chat replied simply before jumping into the air. He landed on the rooftop and took off, expecting Carapace to keep up without issue.

They barely made it and touched down in the alley next to Master Fu's Massage Palace before Carapace transformed back into Nino Lahiffe.

Chat's jaw dropped at the sight of his friend, who seemed so incredibly out of place with a scowl on his face.

"C'mon, Adrien, let's talk to the guy before our lunch is up." Nino walked past Chat Noir and around the corner into the shop, leaving him to detransform with an awestruck look on his face.

Adrien turned to Plagg, trying to catch up with all that was happening. "Plagg, what was that?"

"Just go inside, kid," Plagg ordered, voice solemn and almost parent-like. Well, parent-like for a normal kid.

For a moment, Adrien considered arguing, demanding answers right then and there, but having both Plagg and Nino look so serious dissuaded him. Reluctantly, he headed into the shop, where he was met with a confused Master Fu and an irritated Nino.

"Okay, I'm really lost here," Adrien confessed. "What did that akuma do to me?"

"I'm not sure," Master Fu replied. "It's very rare for akumas to have more than one power, and unheard of for those powers to be unrelated to one another."

"Well it happened," Nino declared. "The question is why, and why did it only target Adrien?"

Master Fu shook his head. "I wish I could tell you, but I honestly don't know. You were right to bring this to my attention, though."

"We need to find out who Hawkmoth is. Now," Nino said, voice curt.

Adrien sighed, sure he knew why his friend was acting like this. "Nino, I know you're mad I didn't tell you-"

"I'm not mad about that," Nino interrupted. "I get that you couldn't tell me. I didn't exactly tell you who I am either. I'm mad because Hawkmoth is obviously targeting you."

"What? Why do you think he's targeting me?"

Nino let out a breath of a laugh. "You're kidding, right? Yesterday, an akuma attacked when you were coming back from the airport. Today, it attacked at lunch and did that weird thing to your eyes- twice! If Master Fu wasn't there to pass off the bracelet, I wouldn't have been able to use shelter, and you would've been killed. I'm freaking out, dude! I don't want to lose my best friend!"

Adrien sighed, the fear and worry fading from him. "You're not gonna lose me," he promised. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence, the past two akumas. If it happens again, then you can start worrying."

"Believe me, I will," Nino replied. "In fact, I'm still worrying now. Wayzz will agree with me. Right, Wayzz?" No response came. "Wayzz?"

Adrien looked around, realizing that he didn't see Plagg either. "Plagg?" he called out. "Plagg! This is not the time to be playing hide and seek!"

The two kwamis flew in from the adjoining room, solemn looks on their faces. Plagg recovered faster, pasting on an annoyed façade. "What? Am I not allowed to catch up with my brother?"

"Tell him the akuma making him space out is a bad sign," Nino demanded.

Plagg and Wayzz shared a look before turning back to the three holders. "It's nothing," they declared in unison.

_"Nothing_?" Nino parroted. "His eyes were _blue_! He _lost_ half an hour! How is that 'nothing?'"

Wayzz sighed and flew over to Nino. "We'll keep an eye on it," he promised. "But for now, there's nothing that can be done. Worrying will only put yourself in a bad position."

"Besides, an akuma did that to me, so there's nothing to keep an eye on," Adrien added.

Wayzz turned back to Plagg, and again they spoke in unison. "Right."

Adrien gestured to the two, as if to say 'I told you so.'

Nino let out a frustrated huff. "Fine, but I'm watching out for when things go downhill."

"They won't, but feel free." He turned to leave, knowing Nino didn't plan to follow.

"You're right about this, kid, it's no big deal," Plagg assured him on the walk back to Le Grand Paris. They still hadn't eaten yet. "I don't know why your friend's getting his tail in a twist."

Adrien shook his head and sighed. "He's just worried," he replied. "I understand it, but he hasn't fought as many akumas as I have and isn't used to the whole thing. Especially not the part where I sometimes have to take the rough hits." He shrugged. "He'll get over it in a day or two."

Plagg flew back into his pocket as they neared a busy intersection, and Adrien tried to shake off the argument. It was his first real fight with Nino, and of course it had to be over superhero stuff. As much as he loved being Chat Noir, that was the one part he worried about: getting his friends too wrapped up in it.

* * *

By the time Adrien got back to Le Grand Paris, his lunch break was nearly over. Chloé, Alya, and Marinette sat around a table together, actually seeming to get along for once. Or at least, something had brought them together long enough not to kill each other.

Marinette glanced up, her eyes catching Adrien, and she smiled as a weight appeared to lift from her shoulders. She pointed him out to the other two, and they spun to look at him.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them. "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Alya parroted. "We were worried sick and about you and Nino! Where have you been?"

Adrien shrugged. "Ran from the akuma," he explained with a wave of his hand. "Nino's fine; he and I got in a fight, so I doubt he really wants to be around me right now."

Chloé scoffed and leaned back in her chair. "Well tough shit for him; you two share a desk." She gestured to a couple of sandwiches wrapped in plastic on the table. "One of those is for you, by the way."

"Once we realized you wouldn't be back in time for a real lunch, we asked my mom to make these," Alya added in.

A smile worked its way onto Adrien's face. It was good to know that even when he was fighting with Nino, he still had friends he could count on. "Thanks," he said, sitting down and diving into his sandwich. If he tried to save it until they were back in class, Plagg was sure to go after it.

"So what was the fight about?"

"Chloé!"

"What? Chloé asked, turning to Alya. "Don't tell me you're not curious, too."

Marinette cringed. "Maybe you could have been a bit more tactful," she suggested.

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Like he wouldn't have seen right though that, right Adrikins?" She looked at him.

Adrien could only sigh and sit back in his chair. "She's right… I think. Maybe." He shook his head, willing his confusion away. "It wasn't important. Just… stupid stuff. He'll be over it in a few days."

"If you're sure…" Alya replied hesitantly, giving Adrien a skeptical look. "If my man comes at me crying cause he thinks your friendship is over, I'm gonna be out for blood."

A laugh bubbled up from Adrien. "If anything, _he__'s_ gonna be out for my blood, so I wouldn't worry about it." He took another large bite of his sandwich, hoping he'd be able to finish it in time.

"You still coming over to my place this afternoon?" Chloé asked. "Your dad's still going to that stupid gala, so you should be able to sneak out, right?"

Adrien nodded, still chewing his food. He covered his mouth to speak. "Your turn to pick the movie, yeah?"

Chloé nodded.

Alya raised an eyebrow, but it was Marinette who spoke up. "You two have movie nights?"

"Of course," Chloé replied dismissively. "Whenever our parents are both doing some dumb corporate thing, we sneak over into each other's rooms and watch movies."

"We've been doing this since we were seven," Adrien added after swallowing his bite.

Chloé glanced from Adrien to Marinette and Alya and back and forth again. Finally, she asked, "Do you guys want to come?"

Marinette's face went blank, and Alya looked at Chloé like she'd grown a second head. "You're inviting us? To your room?" Alya asked, looking her over skeptically. "Without any pushing from Adrien?"

Chloé just rolled her eyes. "I can be nice," she grumbled.

"This is weird." Alya looked to Adrien and Marinette for backup. "This is weird, right? She's been acting like this since Queen Wasp showed up; she didn't even yell at Alix or threaten to get her expelled after she made fun of her selfie collage."

Marinette cringed and muttered something that sounded like "I knew I shouldn't have told you that."

"People change, Alya," Adrien said dismissively. He and Ladybug had done their best to keep Chloé's identity from getting out but there were still a few fuzzy news shots of Chat Noir carrying a blonde girl in yellow and white away from the site of Queen Wasp's defeat. If anyone thought too hard about it, it could spell bad news for Chloé and Pollen.

Chloé cleared her throat. "And thanks for talking about me like I'm not here," she added in.

This time, Alya winced, realizing she'd gone a bit too far. "Chloé, I'm sorry, it's just… you're not… you're kind of… abrasive."

"Subtle." Chloé let out a sigh. "The invite still stands; we start at 18h30. I'm going back to class." She got up and left the patio, leaving the three of them behind.

"She's learning, okay?" Adrien said firmly. "When I was alone, I had her, so she means a lot to me, and it means even more that she's trying to be a better person than her parents raised her to be."

Alya sighed and nodded. "I didn't mean to be so… like that," she said. "It just caught me off guard. The Chloé I know doesn't _do _kind, selfless gestures."

"She used to, and she's learning to again."

Both Adrien and Alya turned to Marinette with wide eyes. The last thing either of them expected was for _her_ to go to bat for Chloé.

Marinette looked back and forth between the two, then curled in on herself a bit. "What? I've known Chloé since she was five, too. Don't think I haven't seen it."

Alya leaned in to mock-whisper to Adrien, "Call Brie Larson. I think Marinette's been replaced by a skrull."

"Ha, ha," Marinette said, giving Alya a light swat. "I think we should go- if that's okay with you, Adrien?"

Adrien just grinned. "I'd love it."


	8. Every Tourist Deserves to See the Louvre

Thank you for the reviews everyone! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

**Every Tourist Deserves to See the Louvre**

Helena sat in the hotel room, the dial tone the only sound. Slowly, she lowered the phone, replacing it on the receiver. _Dead_. Helena Oxley was _dead_.

She remembered the crash, remembered the hospital and the physical therapy. She also remembered getting into a fight with her parents after the fact. They thought she needed more PT and to move back home, so she jerked in the other direction and moved to DC.

But Helena Oxley died in that crash.

Helena sank to the floor, breaths coming in fast and shaky. If Helena Oxley was dead, then who the hell was she? Was she really Emilie Agreste?

No. No, she didn't have any memories of a life as Emilie Agreste; she _remembered_ being Helena Oxley, even if she was supposedly dead. She remembered working with Mariana and going to college at… somewhere and high school with her friend… someone.

"Shit!" Helena leaped up and took a swing at the phone, throwing it into the wall. Where were her memories from before the crash? The doctor had said she'd have some trouble remembering things from before, but this bad? Was the year between the crash and the move to DC even real?

_Knock, knock_.

Helena tore her eyes away from the broken phone, and she crossed the room to open the door. Standing there was Gabriel's assistant with a garment bag in hand, the one who had been there at the airport. The one who chased after Adrien when he ran off.

"Mme. Oxley, M. Agreste asked me to bring this by-"

"Am I Emilie, Mme. Sancoeur?"

If the woman was surprised by her outburst, she didn't let it show. "Well you certainly seemed determined to deny the possibility earlier…"

"But do you think I'm Emilie Agreste?" Helena asked again.

Nathalie took a deep breath and held out the bag. "I can't say for sure if you're Mme. Agreste, but I am sure I never told you my name."

Helena took a deep breath and accepted the bag, looking at Nathalie's hand instead of at her. "Right," she whispered. "Thanks, Nathalie."

Nathalie nodded slowly. "Any time. The shoes are in there, too."

"Thanks," Helena whispered again, closing the door softly. She leaned back against the door, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Why the hell had she agreed to this in the first place? She had a flight back to DC tomorrow and, aside from a passing resemblance to Emilie, no connection to Gabriel… even if Helena Oxley wasn't a real person or was dead or whatever the hell was going on.

A sob escaped her, bubbling up from god-knows-where, and she sank down to the ground.

* * *

It took her hours to calm down enough to function, and by that time, she needed to get ready for the gala. She hadn't brought any makeup different than her usual mascara and neutral eyeshadow, and she hadn't even thought about bringing anything to do her hair- her manager had mentioned something about the differing voltages frying anything she brought.

As a result, she just pulled her hair back in a simple bun and pinned the flyaways back as best she could, and she didn't bother changing her makeup at all, just reapplying what she'd rubbed off earlier.

She walked over to the garment bag laying over the couch, still not knowing what it looked like inside. "Alright, Gabriel, let's see how good of a designer you are," she sighed, pulling at the zipper.

Sapphire blue with_ diamonds_ on the corset-like bodice and dotted across the skirt, floor-length and flowing with enough room for her to move and a sheer layer atop it. There were no straps, but she knew it would fit perfectly. She picked up the shoes, admiring the golden heels, also relatively simple but still classy.

Helena couldn't help but smile, tears coming to her eyes. She'd never had the chance to wear anything like this, and she probably never would again. Maybe she could just… enjoy tonight. She took a deep breath, her resolve settling into firm determination.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

Helena opened the door, hoping she hadn't just revealed her mixed excitement and anxiety over the situation. Gabriel stood there with a necklace in his hand.

"Hi," she breathed.

"Hi." Gabriel hesitated, clearing his throat nervously. "I, uh, I got you this." He held up the necklace, revealing it to be a silver heart pendant.

Helena smiled, turning around. "Could you put it on me?"

She saw Gabriel lower the necklace in front of her, then felt his hands at the base of her neck as he clasped it. She turned back around, not sure how to continue. "I love it," she said. "Thank you."

Gabriel offered his arm. "Shall we go?"

Helena slipped her hand in the crook of his arm, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks. Her heart fluttered and butterflies filled her stomach. She hadn't felt this way since- ever. She'd never felt this way before.

They made it downstairs to the limo Gabriel had waiting, and Helena slid in. "This is… this is intense," she finally said as Gabriel closed the door.

He frowned at that. "Would you rather not go?" he asked. "Just say the word, and we can go somewhere else or you can go back up to your room or-"

"Not that," Helena said with a breathy laugh. "Just the dress and the necklace and the limo. I'm not used to any of this. And I know you only invited me because I remind you of Emilie, but it really means a lot to me to be able to live like this, even if it's just for the night. I'm like Cinderella."

Gabriel's frown changed a little bit- still a frown, definitely, but with a different emotion behind it. "You don't live well?" he asked.

Helena scoffed and shook her head. "I wouldn't say I live poorly, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's totally different from this. I share- shared- a two bedroom apartment with three other people, and I had to sell out my lease to someone else to get enough money to come here. All of my belongings fit in a locker at the hotel I work at, and I spend my days scrubbing toilets and getting talked down to by self-important guests. I mean, there are good things in my life, too, I'm not discounting those, but this is like a fairy tale to me. Something that only happens in stories."

Hesitantly, Gabriel took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Well it's happening now," he said, "to you." He gave her hand a squeeze. "What about those good things in your life? What are they?"

"My roommates, mostly," Helena replied. "We met working together at the hotel and realized that we'd be better off living together than we would be separate. Ever since then, we've only grown closer. Over the week, we pool a quarter of our tip money, and every Saturday night, we all hang out in the living room and drink cheap wine and talk about shitty guests. We vote on who dealt with the worst one, and the winner gets the extra money. It usually goes to groceries anyway, but it's a fun way to vent.

"And DC itself is so beautiful if you ignore the swamp smell and the politicians. If I have free time, I go spend an hour by the reflecting pool on my days off."

Gabriel smiled the entire time she spoke, her hand still in his. "I want to give you money to buy back your lease," he said when she finished.

Helena's jaw dropped. "Wha- no- Gabriel, I can't accept your money. I shouldn't have even accepted this dress; I know you're only doing this because of the Emilie thing."

"It's not because of the Emilie thing." Helena raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not _just_ because of the Emilie thing. You're an incredible woman, Helena, and you have this _light_ about you that I can't describe. You deserve so much more than what you have, and I knew you wouldn't accept a house-"

"_A house_?"

"-so I thought buying back your lease was a good compromise."

"Gabriel, we've known each other for two days and have talked three times including this!" Helena declared. "You're blinded by grief, and I'm taking advantage of it!"

"Maybe you're not taking enough advantage of it!"

"This isn't a game, Gabriel! I'm not going to suddenly turn into Emilie if you feed me a piece of the high life!"

"I'm not trying to, and it's not a game to me, either!"

The Gorilla lowered the privacy screen and grunted, and Helena realized the limo had stopped. She let out a huff of air she'd been holding onto in her anger, and she looked out the window.

"Are we seriously here already?"

Gabriel sighed. "Can we please continue this conversation later?" he begged. "I'd like a chance to better explain my side."

Helena hesitated, then gave a single nod. "Fine," she whispered. "But my flight leaves tomorrow."

Gabriel nodded, sorrow in his eyes, which then drifted down to their still-joined hands. A bright red blush fell over his cheeks, and he let her go.

The Gorilla took their silence to mean they were done and got out of the car, walking around to open the door. Gabriel slid out first, then held his hand for Helena. She followed suit, looking up at the pyramid of the Louvre towering over them. The flashing of paparazzi cameras barely registered in her mind under the overwhelming presence of the museum.

"You never told me the gala was here."

A small smile worked its way onto Gabriel's face. "Every tourist deserves to see the Louvre," he teased, like they hadn't been arguing less than a minute ago.

* * *

She received no less than two dozen comments on how she must have been related to Emilie. In the three and a half hours they spent there, all her anger at Gabriel melted away in favor of watching him handle people who wouldn't accept her response that no, she was not Emilie, and no, she was not related to her. He waited, letting her rebuke people three times on her own (and sometimes they did get the hint) before stepping in and basically telling whoever she was talking with to leave her the hell alone.

It was embarrassing to admit, but she admired it. And each time he directed someone away from her, he made to to comment on the fact that she'd said no or told them to leave her alone three times. All of this he managed while maintaining a professional demeanor.

"That was impressive," she said as they left the Louvre.

He smiled a bit. "Thank you," he replied. "Would you like to go back to the mansion or the hotel to continue our conversation?"

Her face fell; she'd forgotten about that. "How about your place?" she asked.

Gabriel nodded, then told the Gorilla where to go as they approached. The drive back was silent, as was the walk up to Gabriel's room- a walk that _she_ led, she was loathe to notice. Gabriel didn't once try to turn her one way or the other, but soon enough, she found herself in a room with a king-sized bed and a few personal touches that told her the story of its inhabitants. Everything in there was pristine save a vanity that likely hadn't been touched in the past two years.

"I don't want to treat you like some Cinderella story, or like Emilie," Gabriel began. "You're not her, I know you're not, but I still like being around you. And I'm okay with you taking advantage of that, but I don't think you are because you feel it, too."

For a moment, Helena didn't respond, her eyes fixated on the vanity. Makeup and jewelry were scattered over it, and she could picture herself running late and lazily leaving an eyeshadow palette open there.

She tried not to think about how right Gabriel was, how she was starting to think she may actually be connected to Emilie somehow. He was nice, and if this turned out wrong, she would only hurt him.

"You won't hurt me."

Helena turned to look at Gabriel. "You a mind reader now?"

"Empath." He said it like it was a joke, but something gnawed at Helena telling her otherwise.

She walked up to him, until they were practically chest-to-chest, and she put her hands on his shoulders. Again, a little voice whispered in her head _don__'t do it, don't do it, don't do it_. Again, she did it anyways.

Slowly, Helena leaned in, giving Gabriel a soft kiss on the lips. Her head had been spinning all day, but kissing him was like coming home.

They pulled back, each gauging the other's reaction.

Gabriel cleared his throat nervously. "Can we, um, can we do that again?"

Helena nodded, then leaned in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than the first. If the first felt like coming home, this one felt like getting thrown on a roller coaster filled with twists and turns and loop-di-loops. Her heart raced in her chest, and her skin felt like it was on fire.

They barely pulled apart long enough for Helena to whisper, "I need you," before she dove back in, and Gabriel was all too happy to oblige.


	9. Is That Why She Calls You Kitten?

Thanks for the love, everyone! I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Is That Why She Calls You Kitten?**

Despite his best efforts, Adrien was never able to sleep in on the weekends. Even after getting his powers and regularly spending late nights patrolling, he was always up at seven on Saturday and Sunday. He went down the stairs and was about to turn into the kitchen when he heard someone stumble and curse behind him. He whipped around, shocked to see Helena at the top of the stairs, the heel on one of her shoes broken.

"Uh… are you okay?" Adrien asked.

Helena turned bright red and hesitated before responding. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… was heading… uh… heading out."

Adrien nodded slowly, giving Helena a confused look. "So… why exactly are you here in a fancy dress at seven in the morning on a Saturday?" It finally hit him. "Oh! You're…" He thought about it for a second, and he cringed. "Ew, I really don't need to be thinking about my father like that but-" Another thought. "That means you're remembering, right? And you're gonna stay and-"

"No!" Helena winced at the panic in her voice and took a breath to calm down. She tried to step forward, only to remember she was missing a heel, so she removed her shoes before going down the stairs. "Look, kitten, the reason I'm up and leaving at seven is because I thought you'd still be asleep," she explained. "I didn't want to get your hopes up."

Instantly, Adrien's face fell. "But… you and father…"

"Were a one-time thing," Helena explained. "Adrien, I'm so sorry you saw this. If I could, I'd take it back. I'm leaving, remember? I've only got enough time to grab my stuff and get to the airport."

"Or maybe you could stay and get to know father and me better-"

"_Adrien._"

He knew that voice. That was his mom's no-nonsense, don't-you-argue-with-me voice. Still, he couldn't help himself. "Please…"

Helena shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, kitten." She walked past Adrien and opened the front door.

Adrien followed, watching as she left and reached the front gates. They opened for her, and she walked out onto the sidewalk.

A black van screeched to a stop in front of her, and Adrien's blood ran cold. "No," he whispered. This wasn't happening, he was just being paranoid, it-

The door to the van slid open, and two men jumped out, grabbing Helena and pulling her inside. She started fighting like hell, but it was two against one and she didn't stand a chance caught off-guard.

"No!" Adrien yelled. He ran out the door, but it was too late. The van door closed and they drove off. He stopped on the sidewalk, looking around for any witnesses but finding none. "What was that?"

"Kid…"

Right! He was a superhero; he could save her! "Plagg, claws out!

He took off running after the van, jumping up onto the roof of the building next door to get a better vantage point. Catching up shouldn't have been as easy as it was, but rage and fear spurred him on until he was in the perfect position.

Without thinking, he jumped down, landing on the roof of the van. He brought his hand down and slashed through the roof with his claws, tearing the metal back until he was staring down at the would-be kidnappers and a terrified Helena. "Let her go, and I won't hurt you."

One of the kidnappers turned to the driver. "Shake him!" he yelled.

Chat Noir barely managed to dig his claws into the remnants of the roof before the van took a sharp right, throwing the rest of his body off. As they started going straight again, Chat removed one hand and climbed forward, getting back on the roof of the van. He repeated the process with his other hand, then somersaulted over and into the gaping hole he'd made.

Instantly, the kidnappers were on him, one putting him in a chokehold and the other grabbing for the ring. Chat Noir flung his legs out, kicking the man in the chest, then flipped the second man onto his back.

Helena stood and punched the first man as he tried to recover, but before any of them could move again, the van took another sharp turn, throwing them all into the wall. Another turn came soon after, throwing them the other way.

The kidnappers collected themselves first, one pulling out a knife and holding it to Helena's throat. "You really want to try this?" he demanded.

Chat Noir slowly put his hands out in front of him, trying to appear less threatening. "Hey, c'mon, you don't want to do that," he said. "Just let her go, and we can pretend this never happened." The van hit a bump, and Chat's breath caught in his throat. They were one rough turn or pothole away from disaster, and they all knew it.

"Not happening, hero," the kidnapper snapped. "You've got your job, we've got ours. Just ask the guardian who gave you that ring." As he spoke, he gestured with his knife to Chat Noir.

This was his best chance. "And stopping people like you is part of my job," he replied, lunging forward and pushing the knife up. It caught in the remnants of the roof, and Helena spun around to punch the man in the face hard enough to knock him out.

Chat grabbed the other kidnapper's arm and flipped him again, throwing him into the door of the van. Helena grabbed the knife out of the roof and got behind the driver, holding the blade to his neck. "Stop the van!" she ordered.

Her demand was answered far more abruptly than any of them would have liked. The van slammed into something, throwing all of them forward- Chat, Helena, and the two unconscious kidnappers into the front seats, the driver through the windshield.

Chat moaned in pain, looking around as his vision clouded. It must've been one hell of a crash. Something sticky oozed down his forehead, and he dabbed at it with his fingers, then pulled away to inspect it. Blood, he realized. If he was bleeding, everyone else was, too.

Slowly, he stood up, looking around the van again. "Helena?" he asked. He took a step forward and stumbled, collapsing to his knees.

A soft moan caught his attention, and he lifted his head to see Helena in the corner formed by the wall and the driver's seat. She blinked a few times, then sat up. "Oh God, that hurt."

"It's okay," Chat assured her. "You're okay, we're gonna get you out of her."

"I-I'm fine," she assured him. She looked up at the hole in the roof. "Ugh, did that really just happen?"

Chat nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he confirmed. "C'mon." He tugged at the door to the van, only to find it was stuck. He tugged again, but to no avail. "Dammit." He took in a deep breath and punched the door, sending it flying clear across the street. He stepped out and turned to Helena, holding out a hand for her.

Helena took it and pulled herself forward, getting out of the van only to sit back down on the edge of it. Chat Noir sat next to her, panting from exertion.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked.

Helena shook his head. "I have no idea." She looked over to him, and Chat gasped in surprise. Her irises were bright blue, a sharp contrast between her dirt-covered skin and dress. She tilted her head, looking him over. "Is that why she called you 'kitten?'"

Chat's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?"

Helena blinked a couple of times, her eyes returning to their normal green. "Is that why she called you 'kitten?'" she repeated.

Chat's eyes darted around, making sure no one else had heard. The nearest person would have only just been getting within hearing range if it wasn't for the horns blaring all around them "You can't tell anyone."

"I won't," Helena promised.

"Are you okay?" The nearest person finally got close enough. He held his phone to his ear, waiting for a response. Both Helena and Chat Noir nodded, and he spoke into the phone, "They said they're okay, but you're not gonna believe who one of them is. It's Chat Noir!" After a moment, he nodded and pulled the phone away, speaking directly to Chat. "112 wants you to stay so the police can get a statement; can you do that?" Chat Noir nodded again, and the man lifted the phone again. "Yeah, he said he can. There's definitely at least one guy dead, though."

Chat turned his attention back to the van and immediately saw what the man had been talking about. The van had crashed into the Arc de Triomphe, the front of the van completely crushed. The driver could hardly be described as a person he looked so bad, covered in blood and plastered against the monument.

Immediately, Chat turned back around and dropped out of the van, vomiting on the ground.

"Uh… yeah, I think Chat Noir might have a concussion," the man's voice barely reached his ears. "He just threw up."

Chat wiped his mouth, trying to collect himself as he turned over and laid out on the ground, staring up at the sky.

It felt like only a couple of minutes had passed when a flashlight was shined in his eyes, and he squinted against it.

"Okay, we've got a response!" a woman's voice called out. Then, she leaned over him, her brown braid hanging down over her shoulder. "Chat Noir, can you hear me?"

Chat Noir nodded slowly. "Yeah," he choked out. Slowly, he leaned up. "Just… the body… never seen…" His eyes started to drift to the driver again, but the paramedic was faster, turning his head to her.

"Alright, can you stand?"

"Yeah," he repeated. Maybe he wasn't ready for whole sentences just yet. Slowly, he got up onto his hands and knees, then pushed himself to his feet.

Slowly, carefully, the paramedic guided him to an ambulance, and he sat down on the back ledge. "Where, uh… where's Helena Oxley?" he asked. "The-the-the woman, they were trying to kidnap her-"

"She's fine, right over there," the paramedic said, pointing to her left. Chat followed her finger to see Helena, scared and dirty but no worse for wear, talking to a police officer. How long had he been on the ground? "I need you to look back at me now."

Chat Noir looked back to her, shifting his blanket – when had he been given one of those? – around his shoulders.

"Okay, follow my finger with your eyes only; don't move your head."

She started moving her finger and Chat followed, careful not to move his head in the process. _Up, down, left, right-_

"Chat Noir!"

Chat jerked his head to see Ladybug as she landed on the street. Without thinking, he got up and ran to her, hugging her with all his might.

When they pulled away, she looked him over with concern in her eyes. "Chat, are you okay? What happened?"

"We're wondering that, too."

Chat turned to look at a police officer waiting nearby. Immediately, the paramedic intervened, putting up a hand to stop them both. "Hey, he's not ready to give a statement; I haven't finished checking him for a concussion." She jerked her head, urging Chat Noir back to the ambulance.

Chat looked to Ladybug again and gave her a soft smile. "I'll tell you in a bit, okay?"

Ladybug nodded in understanding, then walked over to the officer while Chat returned to the ambulance.

"So what about Helena?" Chat asked. His eyes darted over to her once more before the paramedic diverted his attention yet again.

"Not even a scratch," she declared. "After a crash like that, I'd say she's luckier than Ladybug."

"And the other two people in the van?"

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

He jerked his head to look at the van again, watched as Ladybug reached in and put two fingers to one of the men's necks, then shook her head to the officers. "Guess that answers that." He swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath. "I've never seen a dead body before today."

The paramedic gave him a soft smile. "I'm sorry. If you want, I can recommend a counselor a lot of us first responders go to."

"No, um… _no_. I'll be fine, thank you."

The paramedic raised an eyebrow but took him at his word. "If you change your mind, I'm at the 5th at Champerret. Just ask for Maria Bernard."

Chat nodded slowly. "I will," he promised. "Thank you."

Maria gave a nod in return, then looked over at the police. "He's good!" she called to them. Immediately, an officer came over, and she added in, "He's still a little shaken up, so go easy on him if there're any gaps in his memory, but he should be okay for questioning."

"Thank you," the officer said, then turned to Chat Noir. "Alright, can you state your name for the record?"

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. "Chat Noir?" he asked.

The officer chuckled under his breath. "Like I said, for the record. Can you tell me what you were doing in that van?"

"I was out for a walk and saw a woman being pulled in," he explained. "She obviously didn't want to go with them, so I transformed and took off after 'em. I got up on the roof and clawed it open. One of them put me in a chokehold, but I flipped him, and then the other put a knife to that woman's neck. He paused and pointed it at me, so I grabbed his arm and shoved the knife into the roof. After that, the woman managed to grab the knife and held it to the driver telling him to stop. That's when we hit the Arc."

The officer wrote down everything Chat Noir said, nodding as he did. "Do you know why they grabbed her?"

Chat shook his head. "No," he replied. "I just saw it happen and followed."

"Alright," the officer said, easily taking Chat Noir's word for it. "If you remember anything else, call me." He presented a business card, and Chat took it with a nod, sliding the paper into his pocket. The officer gave him a light hit on the arm. "Now go back to bed, man. You've earned it."

A little laugh escaped Chat, and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think I will." But first, he had to visit someone.


	10. Maybe He Was Out for a Walk

Sorry this chapter is so late. Things have been crazy in my world lately, but I'll go further into that in the end notes.

* * *

**Maybe He Was Out for a Walk**

Helena… still wasn't sure what happened. Chat Noir had been too focused on her to notice, but she saw her kidnappers. In addition to the one smeared on the side of the Arc de Triomphe, the other two had clearly broken necks and multiple wounds. Even Chat Noir had a cut on his forehead, but she had gotten away without even a bruise, and any soreness had vanished by the time she walked over to the ambulance.

The paramedic looked her over, confusion in his eyes. "This is the craziest thing…" He turned over his shoulder, calling to his partner. "Hey, Bernard!"

A woman with her hair in a brown braid turned, walking over.

"Look at this," the man said. "She's totally fine. It's like she wasn't even in the van."

The second paramedic started looking her over, checking her eyes and her reflexes. After a moment, she shook her head, amazement written all over her face. "Okay," she said, "looks like you're free to talk to the police."

"Thanks," Helena said, standing up. "Make sure to take good care of that kid. He's special."

Bernard laughed and smiled. "Oh, believe me, madame. We know." She gave her partner a soft hit to the arm. "Andres, start running a double check on our supplies and get some anti-nausea medication out. I think he's gonna need it." She turned and headed over to Chat Noir, trying for a second time to grab his attention.

Helena walked over to the police officers, her heart fluttering with anxiety as she approached. She knew what kinds of questions she'd be asked, and the thought of reliving what just happened made her skin crawl.

"Hello," the officer said. "May I get your name for the record?"

"Helena Oxley," Helena replied. "Can I know yours?"

The officer paused, looking up at her for a moment before turning his attention back to his notepad. "It's Officer Dunlap. Now, what were you doing in that van."

Helena scoffed. "Fighting off my kidnappers, that's what," she snapped. She caught herself and took a deep breath, then elaborated. "I was leaving a friend's house, and when I got to the sidewalk, a van pulled up, and two guys jumped out and grabbed me. I don't know why; I just know that I'm lucky Chat Noir was nearby."

Slowly, the officer nodded, writing down her words. "And what was he doing in the area?"

"I don't know," Helena replied, lying through her teeth. "Maybe he was out for a walk; you'd have to ask him." She glanced over to the teen, watching as he sat down on the edge of the ambulance. "All I know is that he jumped on top of the van, clawed it open, jumped in, and saved my life because of it."

"And you have no idea why they kidnapped you?"

"No. I've never even seen them before in my life."

She swallowed hard and looked over to Chat Noir- no, at _Adrien_. Every move he made reminded her of him now, and all she wanted to do was find Hawkmoth and _kill him_ for what he had put that boy through. At the same time, though, there was a little something nagging at her in the back of her head, scolding her for not knowing what it was.

She blinked, and the image of Chat Noir sitting in the ambulance transformed into one of Adrien sitting on a desk. He swung his legs back and forth as he spoke to a girl his age; his arm was in a sling. With his good arm, he rubbed at the back of his neck at the same time as Chat Noir. She blinked again, and she saw Adrien as a child, sitting on his father's desk, legs swinging. Helena saw herself pick him up and take him 'flying' across the room over to Gabriel, who put a small, butterfly-shaped brooch down on the coffee table in front of him. And somewhere, deep inside her heart, Helena knew what it was.

"Madame? Madame?"

Helena blinked, jerking back to reality. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're free to go," the officer declared. "Maybe back to the paramedics to get double-checked for a concussion."

"Uh… thanks." Helena turned and started walking away, her heart pounding in her chest, even harder than it had been those men had kidnapped her.

She knew who Hawkmoth was. She knew who Chat Noir was.

Did they know about each other?

* * *

Helena made it back to the hotel and up to her room, her hands shaking so badly she almost couldn't get into her room. She threw her purse on the sofa once inside and marched over to the computer, opening the web browser and typing in a single line:

_Hawkmoth__'s most dangerous akumas_

About 101,000 results (0.58 seconds)

Helena clicked on the first link, _Akumas that probably killed someone (or at least could have)_

_Hello, gentle readers. Today, we__'re delving into a rather dark topics: akumas that have straight-up killed someone. I mean, they're not dead anymore, sure, and the victims can't remember anything from being dead, but imagine what would happen if Hawkmoth won after sending out one of those akumas. Yikes!_

_Anyway, on with the list!_

_1\. Stoneheart: Yep, Hawkmoth__'s first akuma definitely killed people. He brought down a skyscraper, for Christ's sake!_

_2\. The Bubbler: Once the adults were far up enough in the atmosphere, they couldn__'t breathe anymore._

_3\. Timebreaker: No one really knows for sure, but according to Ladybug__'s account, shit went down._

_4\. Gamer: He turned people into xp to power up, so I__'m counting it._

_5\. The Collector: Collected people in his little book thingy._

_6\. Befana: People were turned into angels or ash, but somehow, neither of those seem all that appealing._

_7\. Robustus: A ton of cars were crushed or turned into parts for Robustus__'s body, and most of those dumped their people out beforehand, but there were some that didn't._

_8\. Glaciator: Ice cream. Warm night. Enough said._

_9\. Syren: People drowned, Susan. They drowned._

_10\. Bonus: Gorizilla: Okay, so no one died, but I had to include this one because did you SEE ADRIEN AGRESTE JUMP OUT OF GORIZILLA__'S HAND? I know people have been controlled into doing some crazy s#!t before, but that was all the kid._

He _what_? Helena groaned and sat back in her chair, astonished by the boy's nerve. Sure, he was Chat Noir, but he sure as hell didn't look transformed in the accompanying photo. She'd definitely have to talk to him about that- wait, no, she didn't have any right to do that.

She let out a sigh, scrolling down the rest of the length of the page and reading the advertised articles.

_Families with more than one akuma victim_

_Does Hawkmoth have it out for a class of coll__ège students?_

_10 people who could totally be Hawkmoth_

None of those did anything for her. She knew Gabriel was Hawkmoth, no doubt in her mind, she just needed to know how far he was willing to go. Pretty far, obviously, if his son was a direct victim of an akuma. And to think she'd actually started to like him!

God. She'd slept with Gabriel just last night. It felt like it was so long ago. And she probably needed to talk to him again because of the kidnapping; she was taken right in front of his house, after all.

Somehow, her train of thought wound back to the conversation she'd had with her not-parents the day before. She remembered the car crash, remembered spending months in rehab, remembered getting in a fight with her parents over her independence and leaving, not speaking to them again until that call.

Was this the Mandela Effect? Was it two alternate universes colliding into one? It was hard to say it was impossible when there was a man running around Paris making supervillains for God-knows-why.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!"

Speak of the devil.

Helena groaned and sank down in her chair. Three days. She'd been there. For three days. Not even that! She was just barely passing 48 hours! And catching her flight was out of the question by now. She might as well brave the akuma to yell at Gabriel.

Helena walked toward the door, only to stop and lean on the frame once she opened it. The world spun, and when she blinked, she was someplace else. The air smelled of metal and oil, and she hated it there. She looked up, seeing a man a few years older than here. "You knew you only got so many years."

"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" she replied without even meaning to.

Helena blinked again, and she was back in the hotel. Whatever that was…

Getting to the mansion should have been easy at only a block away, but between dodging the akuma and Ladybug and Chat Noir, it took her almost the entire fight. As she knocked on the door, she heard Ladybug call for her lucky charm in the distance.

Nathalie opened the door. "May I help you?"

"I need to talk to Gabriel," Helena grit out, short of breath from her trek. "Preferably before he does something stupid enough to reveal his identity to all of Paris."

* * *

Thank you all for your reviews on this fic; they really mean a lot to me. My work and medical lives are kind of imploding right now and your kind words really help me get through.


	11. Kill the Bastards

**Kill the Bastards**

Adrien walked into the massage parlor, trying to appear nonchalant but probably just looking skittish. Plagg zipped out of his pocket and over to Wayzz, and they vanished into another room.

"Greetings," Master Fu said as he walked in. "Your timing is impeccable; I just finished a session. Now, what brings you here? A salve for your forehead, perhaps?"

Adrien lightly touched his wound, no longer bleeding but surely not pretty to look at. But he didn't have time to deal with that now. "Someone tried to kidnap Helena Oxley, and I had to transform into Chat Noir to save her," Adrien declared bluntly. "One of the guys said he had a job to do, and to ask the guardian who gave me my ring. So… how did he know about you?"

Master Fu's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and concern. "No one should know about me," he replied. "I trust neither you nor Ladybug told anyone, nor would M. Lahiffe." He paused, putting a finger on his chin. "Perhaps it's someone related to the lost butterfly and peacock miraculous."

"How did they get lost in the first place?" Adrien asked. "It's not like you ever take any of the miraculous out of the box unless there's an emergency."

Master Fu hesitated, then walked across the room and sat down on a mat. "Join me, Adrien. It's time I told the truth."

Adrien raised an eyebrow but moved to the mat across from Master Fu and sat anyway. "The truth about what?" he asked.

"How I first came into possession of the miraculous." Master Fu took a deep breath and let it out slowly, almost like he was trying to delay the inevitable. "When I was young, I joined the Order of the Guardians. We were tasked with protecting the miraculous, but when I was given the chance to pick a holder, I chose poorly. They immediately turned around and razed the monastery the Guardians lived in, killing everyone inside. The holder made it away with the peacock and the butterfly."

"What's happened to them?" Adrien asked in a whisper. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "The- uh, the holder, I mean. Did you ever find him?"

Master Fu shook his head. "I was lucky to get out with my life and the remaining miraculous as it were," he replied. "Had it not been for Wayzz, I would have burned along with the rest of the Guardians." He cast a glance to his kwami and smiled softly, then turned back to Adrien, his expression hardening. "I was relatively young for a Guardian when all this happened; I didn't learn many secrets of the job before the incident. But if this person knew about me, he could be very dangerous."

Adrien pursed his lips and looked at the ground. "He's dead," he said softly. "The van crashed, and Helena and I were the only ones who survived. That's where the cut on my forehead is from, when it… happened."

The way Master Fu's eyes went wide would have been comical were it not for the severity of the situation. "You got that cut as Chat Noir?" Adrien nodded. "And Mme. Oxley, is she expected to recover?"

"There's nothing to recover from," Adrien replied. "She didn't have a scratch on her."

"Adrien, that's not possible," Master Fu declared, firmly and stoically. "If you were wounded as Chat Noir, it would have killed you as a civilian. If Mme. Oxley walked away without injury, she cannot possibly be human."

Adrien's shoulders fell as he let out a breath. There were no words to describe the millions of thoughts and feelings running through his mind. He took in a shaky breath, trying to come up with a list of options he had. Did he need options? What the hell fell under 'options' in a scenario like this?

"Plagg?" No response. "Plagg!"

Plagg flew into the room with Wayzz by his side, both looking solemn. "Yeah, kid?" There was no teasing tone that seemed to be inherent in Plagg's voice, and the change made Adrien's stomach turn.

"Did you know my mom isn't human?"

A long pause followed, longer than it possibly could if the answer was 'no.' Five seconds had passed when Plagg finally opened his mouth-

-only for a scream outside to pull their attention away.

Adrien let out a frustrated huff and turned back to Plagg. "This isn't over," he declared. "Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir ran out of the massage shop towards the screaming, and it quickly became apparent what the cause was. Unsurprisingly, it was an akuma, this one in a tuxedo with garish purple and orange stripes, yelling that his name was MisMatch. Everything he hit got a horrific color change, but it seemed his real power laid in starting a shouting match between the victim and the person nearest them.

It was the third akuma in as many days; Hawkmoth must have been getting desperate.

Somehow, Ladybug and Chat Noir only took ten minutes to defeat it, further confirming Adrien's suspicions about the pressure Hawkmoth felt. This could be a major break in the fight against him, another hint to who he was. Adrien couldn't help but feel a little bit more confident with that in mind as he walked into the Agreste mansion.

His chest suddenly became heavy when he walked in on Helena arguing with Nathalie.

"I am going to talk to Gabriel if it damn well kills me!" Helena snapped. "Don't think I don't realize what he's doing right now-" She noticed Nathalie's eyes focus on something else, and she turned around to look at Adrien.

She let out a sigh of frustration. "Kid, can you talk your guardian into letting me see your dad?" she asked. "I've got some important shit- I mean, stuff- to talk to him about that really can't wait."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "_I_ can't even get Nathalie to let me see my father," he replied dryly. "What's so important that you need to see him now?"

"It's…" She glanced up the stairs, so obviously conflicted about… _something_. "I wanted to let him know I was okay after the kidnapping attempt. You, too. I know you saw it. Good thing Chat Noir saw it, too, or who knows what would have happened." She tilted her head slightly, then looked at Nathalie out of the corner of her eye, likely trying to figure out if she was in on the secret, too.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed. "Really lucky he was there. I wish I could have seen him transform; my friend Alya would've had a field day."

Helena nodded slowly, picking up what Adrien was trying to say. "Right…" She turned back to Nathalie. "Which is why I need to talk to Gabriel. _Right now_."

Nathalie sighed and came about as close to rolling her eyes as Adrien had ever seen her. "Mme. Oxley, it is my job to manage M. Agreste's schedule, and you do not fit into it today."

"Really?" Helena asked skeptically. "Between _what_, exactly?" She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side.

"It's alright, Nathalie." All three of them turned their attention to the top right side of the stairs to see Gabriel, hands clasped behind his back. "I'm sure I can spare her a moment, though I've got to say, all this yelling is not helping my headache." He walked down the steps until he was right in front of Helena. "I'd appreciate not having this discussion in front of my son."

Helena scoffed. "No, you'd appreciate not having this discussion in front of any witnesses."

Adrien looked back and forth between the two, trying to catch up. "Uh… am I missing something?"

"Yes," Helena replied bluntly, not taking her eyes off Gabriel. She took a step closer, staring him down. "And you're going to tell him, or I will."

Gabriel's eyes flashed with anger, but he kept it under a scowl and a firm gaze. "Nathalie, please call M. Gore and have him remove Mme. Oxley from the premises." He turned to look at her, but she was already gone. "Seems I'll have to do it myself, then."

He reached out, but the second their skin made contact, Helena recoiled as if burned. She cried out in pain and turned and stumbled, taking a moment to steady herself. She froze, hands on her knees, eyes spaced out and looking at the floor.

"Helena?" Adrien asked, rushing up to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't react in the slightest. Adrien lowered his head and saw blue eyes instead of green. He gasped and jerked back, startled.

When he did, Gabriel moved forward again and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stand up properly and spinning her to face him. She blinked a few times, the fog clearing, and her shoulders fell, all the rage in them gone.

"Oh, you poor thing."

Gabriel's gruff exterior faltered for a moment, giving way to surprise. "You know why I have to do this."

"No," Helena said with a shake of her head. "But I saw why you think you do. Gabriel, this cruelty, it isn't you."

Adrien stopped for a moment, putting the pieces together. Mysterious blue eyes, spacing out for a minute, coming away with her mind focused on something else… perhaps it wasn't an akuma that had messed with his mind yesterday after all. "Helena…" he began hesitantly, "did you… did you have a vision? Like… seeing things that aren't really there?"

"Things that have or will happen," Helena finished, her lips forming a firm line. She looked to Gabriel again. "And I saw what happened to you. _After_ Emilie left."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "But I thought you already knew that."

"I did; I'm talking about something else," Helena explained. She shook her head, looking Gabriel over and seeing only thinly-veiled confusion. "You don't even remember; they took your memories of it. No wonder you're so cruel."

Adrien cleared his throat nervously. "No offense, but if you knew he was cruel beforehand, why did you sleep with him last night?"

Helena looked to him, then her eyes darkened. She turned back to Gabriel. "I'm gonna kill the bastards that did this. They weren't just punishing you; they were punishing him."

Before Adrien could demand answers, the front doors blew open, and a small troop of six gunmen flooded in.


	12. You Were Nicer Last Time

**You Were Nicer Last Time**

"All of you, freeze!"

The trio did exactly that, all of them too stunned to immediately process what was happening. Helena had never seen a gun in person in her life, and now she was faced with half a dozen of them, all being toted by people who didn't look the slightest bit afraid of using them.

One of them gestured to Adrien with their weapon, and Helena's breath caught in his chest.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. "She didn't tell us anything about a kid."

_Kid_. That was Adrien, wasn't it? He was the kid. Now would that be good or bad for him?

"Typical," another of the men sighed. "You know what we've got to do." He raised his gun and fired at Adrien.

Helena didn't know how, but she moved faster, jumping between the two. "STOP!" she yelled, throwing her hand out.

The bullet collided with a wall of energy midair, sending both sides to the floor, shattering anything in the room made of glass, and knocking paintings off the walls.

The world shifted. It was like she had been standing on a hill for so long that now, even though she was on flat land, everything felt askew.

She sat up slowly, wincing but otherwise unharmed. Thought after thought, memory after memory crashed through her mind, all coming to focus on one thing: Adrien. She scrambled over to him, looking him over for injuries. "Oh my God," she breathed. She pulled his limp form into her arms and held him close. "Adrien?" she whispered. "Adrien, kitten, please, wake up." She laid a hand on his cheek.

Adrien groaned, eyes fluttering open. "Mom?"

"I'm here," she replied. "Mommy's here."

That woke Adrien up completely, his eyes going wide and life breathing back into him. "Mom? Is that- is it- is it really you?"

Emilie nodded. "It's me, kitten," she told him. She looked him over, and almost immediately tears came to her eyes. "You look so grown up."

"It's you. It was really you this whole time- I knew it!"

"At least you got a nice little reunion before you died."

Emilie and Adrien turned back to the gunmen, one of whom recovering faster than the others, enough to get up and point his gun at Adrien again.

Emilie stood up, letting the man level his weapon at her chest. "I'll go peacefully if you leave him alone and undo the spell you put on Gabriel," she declared. "Adrien doesn't have my powers, and if they haven't manifested by now, they never will." A lie, of course, but it was her only chance to keep her son safe now.

"Mom, no, you can't go with them!" Adrien yelled. "They'll kill you!"

Emilie turned back to look at him, a soft but sad smile on her face. "They can't kill me, Adrien," she said calmly. "No one can. It's impossible. That's why they wipe my memories and relocate me until I've regained enough energy to revert back to my other form and go into my miraculous."

Adrien's jaw dropped. "Your… your what?" She could see the gears turning in his head.

"I'm a kwami, Adrien." She took a deep breath and glanced at the gunman, then back to Adrien. "Your father will tell you about them once I'm gone."

"If you think…" Emilie gasped and turned to her husband as he pushed himself up to sit on one of the steps. "For one second… I'm gonna let you asshole Guardians take my wife _again_, you've got another thing coming."

Another gunman, halfway to his feet, paused, clearly confused by Gabriel's statement. "The apathy spell didn't work."

Emilie shook her head and pursed her lips. It was bad enough they cast the spell, but it was made even worse because they didn't verify the damn thing with her. "No, it did," she replied solemnly, struggling to hide the rage in her voice. "It just backfired. The magical relationship between a kwami and a chosen is too strong for an apathy spell to break, so instead, he stopped caring about everything _but_ me." She looked to the first gunman again, easily singling him out as the leader. "Please," she begged. "Spare my son and let him have the father he deserves. They've committed no crime."

The man hesitated, then asked, "And you'll come willingly? No funny business?"

"None," Emilie promised.

After another pause, the man nodded and snapped his fingers. One of the other guardians pulled out a small, leather-bound journal and started reading from it. "Ous edroc tsetop irinevni mauqnun, tiresima diuq tics non mine cis, suie meroma eredrep, eraruc non omoh douq caf."

Emilie looked over as Gabriel lurched, eyes going wide in horror. He looked up at Adrien, then at the men trying to take Emilie. Without a second thought, he jumped up and put himself between Adrien and everyone else, a hand back to keep their child behind them.

Emilie let out a sigh of relief.

"Leave my house now and never come back," he demanded, glaring at the Guardians. He looked to Emilie, and she gave him a small smile. "How do you know they won't just go back on their word?" he asked her. "They're going to hurt our son!"

Emilie shook her head. "I would never let them," she promised. "And neither would the others. If they have to, Tikki and Plagg will make Ladybug and Chat Noir guard this place 24/7. It's safest for him this way." Tears shone in her eyes, and she took a deep breath before turning back to the Guardians. "I'm ready to go."

"No," Adrien said after a moment said. "No, not again! You can't leave again!" She heard a brief scuffle behind her, presumably Adrien trying to run over to her and Gabriel stopping him.

"No, Adrien!" he snapped. "Your mother knows what she's doing; this is to protect you."

Emilie looked back one more time and smiled at them. "I love you both so much," she said. She sniffed and turned back. "Please, don't make this any harder on them than it already is. No more spells, no more stalking. Just leave them alone."

"You have our word," the leader said, then grabbed her arm and started leading her out of the building. Emilie went silently, unable to stop the tears that fell down her cheeks at the sound of her son's crying behind her.

She got into the van, one eerily similar to the previous one she'd been forced into. "Sorry about your guys." There was no sympathy in her voice.

One of the Guardians sneered at her. "Don't make us go back for the kid," he snapped.

"This wasn't what we made the Order for. What we made the old rules for."

The man who had been in charge of the operation scoffed at her. "I may not be as old as you are, but I've been around long enough to know what happens when one of you sticks around for too long. If it were up to me, we'd just shove you back in that damn pin already."

A wry smile worked its way onto Emilie's face. "But it doesn't work that way," she drawled. "Have fun never accessing my power again if you ever tried it."

"You were nicer last time."

"What can I say? Helena's got a bit of a bite to her. I can see why you chose her." She didn't mention that she'd gotten in contact with Helena's parents and that she was well on her way to figuring out who she was on that alone. With any luck, the Order would be sloppy again and she'd sneak under the radar back to her family.

She turned her head, looking out the window to watch the city as it passed by. Each location held meaning to her, but Paris would definitely hold a special place in her heart forever.

"Hey!"

Emilie jerked her attention to the man who had spoken. "Yeah?"

"No looking," he said gruffly. "Don't want you memorizing routes."

"And doing what with them exactly?" Emilie asked. "Emilie Agreste and Helena Oxley are both gonna be gone before I get the chance to see these roads again."

The leader looked her over, eyes squinting as he analyzed her. "You're calling yourself Emilie again. Did that last time, too. What's up with that? It's not your real name."

Emilie rolled her eyes. "I _am_ Emilie. Just because it's not my birth name doesn't mean it's not my real name. I had all my memories the entire time I've been Emilie; there's no reason not to refer to myself as such."

The leader huffed and shook his head, grumbling something about "kwamis are weird" under his breath.

"So are humans," Emilie replied, not missing a beat. "You steal, kill, harm others… and for what? Your lives would be so much better if you were just kind to each other."

One of the other men scoffed. "Like you're one to talk," he sneered. "Just because the temple was destroyed doesn't mean the Guardians have forgotten what you've done. You're no better than us; you just can't get off your high horse long enough to admit it."

"Leave it, Aramis."

Emilie raised an eyebrow at the name, then snorted. "Really?" she asked. "Musketeers code names? God, how lame could you be?"

The leader looked her over momentarily, then turned away. "You're right; Helena is a bitch."

A dry laugh escaped her, and she sat forward in her seat. "I'm gonna outlive you," she whispered. "And when you die, I will _laugh_. I want you to know that."

"At least it'll be after a life of stopping you kwamis from fucking up the world."

The van jerked to a halt, and the door was opened by a woman in her twenties in the same tactical gear as the other Guardians. "This is her?"

Emilie smirked. "This is her."

* * *

Hey, we've finally got some answers! Not all of them, but we're getting there!


	13. Trust a Butterfly

**Trust a Butterfly**

Slowly, after Emilie was long gone and Adrien had calmed down enough to not need restraining, Gabriel lowered himself to sit on the stairs, his mind still trying to catch up with what had happened. He almost had his wife back, then he lost her and… oh God. Adrien eyed him warily, not sure what to make of the sight. "Father?" he asked.

Gabriel jerked his head up suddenly, revealing tears in his eyes. "I made you stop calling me Dad," he whispered. He looked his son over, noting the tension in his shoulders as he said it. "And then it just went downhill from there; I was so horrible and abusive to you-"

"Dad, it's not your fault," Adrien insisted, running up to his father and dropping down beside him. "You heard what Mom said; those bastards-"

"_Hey, language._"

"-_people_ messed with your mind; they cast an apathy spell on you!" Adrien let out a short breath, tired and scared and still somehow relieved. "It wasn't your fault."

Gabriel inhaled shakily, looking at the collar of Adrien's shirt instead of meeting his eyes. "It was still me, physically at least. You had to put up with the one parent you had left neglecting you when you did nothing wrong." He shook his head and finally looked up to look him in the eyes. "I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already have," Adrien promised, wrapping Gabriel in a hug.

For a moment, Gabriel sat there, relishing in his son's embrace, but he knew it could only last so long. He let out a shuddering breath, trying not to let it turn to a sob. He knew what he had to do- what he should have done a long time ago. "I need to get in contact with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien pulled out of the hug, confusion and hope in his eyes. "You think they can help get Mom back?"

"No," Gabriel said with a shake of his head. "They're just children; they don't need to get wrapped up in the Guardians' wrongdoings. But I think I can help them." A nervous laugh bubbled up from his chest. "Or at the very least I can apologize to them as well."

That threw Adrien for a loop, Gabriel could tell. "Dad, nearly like, a hundred people have been akumatized. They're not gonna be mad at you about being The Collector."

Gabriel winced and took off his glasses, holding them in one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. "I could have easily prevented The Collector," he explained, voice slow and enunciating every word. "I could have prevented… _every_. Akuma." A shaky breath. "Nooroo?"

A small, purple kwami flew out of Gabriel's jacket, and Adrien's jaw dropped. "Yes, Master?"

"Please, don't call me that," Gabriel whispered. He lifted his head and let his hand drop, elbows still resting on his knees. "I never should have made you call me that, or do the things I made you do… God, I took away your ability to _talk_, and on your birthday no less." He shook his head, horrified by his own actions. "I'm sorry, Nooroo. I hope that your next holder uses your abilities as they were meant to be used."

Nooroo gave him a soft smile. "You're not the worst holder a kwami has ever had, Gabriel. You're not even the worst _I__'ve_ had. You don't have to give up the miraculous. And you don't have to give up on Duusu."

"Like anyone would be willing to trust a butterfly coming toward them right now, even if it wasn't corrupted," Gabriel objected. Lack of trust got champions killed; Emilie had told him that. "She's gone, Nooroo. She went with them to spare us."

"And how many miraculous do they have right now?" Nooroo asked. "Oh, that's right! _Zero_. If we hurry, there may still be time."

Gabriel sighed, defeated. "I can't do that to anyone. Besides, I've never tried making a senshi or a seijin, just akumas. I wouldn't even know how to find someone with the right emotions to do it."

Adrien thought for a moment, then looked from Nooroo to Gabriel. "Yes you do," he said. He took in a shaky breath, a plan forming in his mind. Whatever it was, Gabriel knew he wouldn't like it. "Me. Akumatize me- er, senshify me or whatever it is."

"No," Gabriel immediately objected, getting to his feet and putting his glasses back on. "Absolutely not; this would be insanely dangerous, and even then, Nooroo's powers were meant primarily to magnify the abilities of another miraculous. It would be a misuse of the power otherwise."

"_Then senshify me,_" Adrien repeated, standing up and looking his father in the eyes. "Plagg?" Slowly, he opened his shirt a bit, and the black kwami flew out, barreling into Nooroo.

"OH NOOROO I MISSED YOU SO MUCH WE WERE ALL SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU-" He caught himself, looking over at the two humans in the room. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Nooroo and brushed an imaginary speck of dirt off his fur. He cleared his throat. "I mean- you sure about this, kid? Nooroo?"

Adrien and Nooroo both nodded. "More than I've ever been sure about anything. Still don't really get how my mom's a kwami, but that's a question for later, so… I'm sure."

"Agreed," Nooroo added. "Duusu is our sister, Plagg, and what the Guardians have been doing has to stop."

All three of them turned to Gabriel, who felt rather like he'd just witnessed a plane crash. "You… this whole time… I could've…"

"But you didn't," Adrien cut in. "Look, Dad, I know you've got a lot of guilt built up right now, but I _need_ you to compartmentalize that until after we save Mom. Can you do that?"

Gabriel took a slow, shaky breath, then nodded. "I can," he confirmed. "Nooroo, wings rise."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Hawkmoth stared down Chat Noir, still hesitant. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I have to stay hidden for the most part because any damage to me is instantly damage to you, but I'll stay close by in case you need me."

Chat Noir nodded once. "Let's go save Mom."

Hawkmoth waved his hand, and one of the butterflies that had appeared upon his transformation flew up to him, landing in his hand. He waved his other hand over it, but when he pulled away, it didn't look any different, still white as freshly fallen snow. He lifted his hand a bit, and it flew off, only to head straight into Chat Noir's ring.

Chat Noir gasped, feeling the sudden intrusion into his mind, and he wavered a bit before righting himself. Hawkmoth lowered his head and put a hand on his son's shoulder. He could feel the connection form, strong and steady.

"Are you alright?" Hawkmoth asked, double checking to make sure. Chat Noir nodded. "Then let's go save your mother, Chat Blanc."

Hawkmoth let the waiting wave of energy crash over them both, and after a moment, it faded to a low roar constantly in the background. Chat Blanc looked down at his suit and saw that, sure enough, everything but the ring had turned white. He looked back up at his father, a thought occurring to him. "How are we gonna find her? They've got at least ten minutes head start."

Hawkmoth nodded. "I thought of that," he assured him. "That's why the senshi isn't just amplifying your powers as Chat Noir. It's also amplifying Emilie's power within you."

"The visions," Chat realized. He closed his eyes, calling on his instincts. "I… I need to get higher up. Somewhere I can see the whole city; half the time my visions work on association." He turned to leave, then looked back to Hawkmoth. "Stay here until I know where to go; Chat Blanc is already going to draw enough attention as it is."

"I understand." This alone wouldn't be easy, standing there and watching his son out in the open as Chat Blanc. So many things could happen…

Chat nodded quickly, psyching himself up for what he knew would end in a fight with the Guardians. "Okay," he breathed. "I'll let you know as soon as I can."

Hawkmoth gave him a soft, caring smile. "Be safe, son."

"I will."


	14. Am I Being Punished?

**Am I Being Punished?**

She'd forgotten how long this took.

Emilie sat tied to a chair, listening to the sound of one of the Guardians chanting- it was really starting to grate on her nerves. She didn't think it would; she'd done this more than almost all of the kwamis, but this time, she might actually kill someone over it. It wouldn't be difficult to tear the rope binding her to shreds and escape, but if she did, they'd go after Adrien and Gabriel again.

A sigh escaped her at the thought. Two years, she'd been gone, and Paris was run amok by her own husband, the man who she trusted to keep Adrien safe. And the Guardians ruined him. Ruined them both, really- Gabriel with the apathy spell and Adrien with the abusive behavior that followed. They had a long road ahead of them to get back to any semblance of normal. She just hoped they would work on that rather than fixate on her.

"What do we do about Fu?"

Emilie turned her attention to the remaining Guardians, all standing around save one at the door. They tried to keep their voices hushed, but that wasn't a very good defense against the hearing of a goddess.

"We can't bring him in on this; he's the reason the Order is working out of this place."

Ah, Fu. She remembered him; surely he'd be somewhere in his 180s by now. He'd barely been twenty when he chose someone for her. If she recalled correctly (she did), the chosen was greedy for power and stole the butterfly brooch and tome of secrets before razing the temple and killing nearly everyone in it. Fu hadn't even known the secondary reason for Guardians when all this happened.

It was nice to know he made it out.

"How else are we going to get the other miraculous back?"

So that's how Ladybug and Chat Noir came into the picture.

"We'll track him down later," the leader of the group declared. "For now, we've got bigger things to worry about."

"Hey, that's me!" Emilie added in with false cheer, smirking at her captors.

One of the Guardians, a younger man, leaned in towards the leader. "Are you sure we can't kill her?"

The leader sighed and shook his head. "Trust me, if it was possible and in our best interest, I would. In fact, I would've done it last time."

Emilie kept that fake grin pasted on her face. "We're all stuck here together, hun. Might as well get used to it." She blinked, letting her precognition take over. None of them had much of a future ahead of them, it seemed, and she couldn't help but take pride in that fact.

A slap on the face snapped her out of it, but she didn't move her head and follow through with the motion like she might otherwise. As the world came back into focus, she looked up at the man who'd done it, clutching his hand and moaning in pain.

The leader sighed and shook his head. "I told you not to do that."

Emilie pouted and tilted her head. "Aw, did I hurt you?" she asked. When the Guardian looked at her, she immediately snapped, "Tough shit!"

"She's getting restless; let's just get this over with," one of the other Guardians said. He walked up to her, a knife in hand, and grabbed her arm. She stayed still as he cut the rope and pushed her to her feet, leading her toward the portal that had finally finished forming.

Before they could push her in, she turned back around. "You know, I'm gonna enjoy remembering next time," she said. "And when I do, I am going to give you as much shit as humanly possible, and then some. The oldest person here is... what? Fifty? Without the elixir, none of you will live longer or be more durable than a normal human, and I will take pleasure in completely _destroying_ your lives like you did mine. And you won't even have time to recover."

She turned back around and stepped through the portal; she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of pushing her.

* * *

As always, it took a few seconds for Emilie to orient herself. She looked around, seeing nothing but white for a moment. Gradually, the temple took shape around her, like it hadn't been expecting visitors.

"Welcome home."

Emilie turned, seeing a tall man in ancient Sumerian clothing. "Enlil," she greeted coldly. "How are you liking your punishment?"

"How are you liking yours?"

Emilie scoffed and shook her head. "At least I didn't try to murder my children." She looked the other way, seeing a long hallway waiting for her. "Why the hell did they make Ekur so long in the first place?"

Without turning back, Emilie knew Enlil was smirking at her. "Well, it _was_ once the home of 3,600 gods. You need a lot of space to fit that many people."

"And now there's twenty of us, one of whom can't even leave." She turned back around and gave Enlil the same look he'd given her, smarmy grin and all. "It must suck."

Enlil sighed and shook his head. "You always were the pettiest of your siblings," he said. "The youth these days, no respect for their parents."

"I lost any and all respect for you the day you killed Mom and all the others." Emilie started walking down the hall, away from Enlil. She blinked, and suddenly he was standing in front of her again. Before he could say anything, she added in, "You know, people have been talking shit about 'the youth these days' for five thousand years, probably longer. So your self-righteousness doesn't exactly leave an impact."

"Like I said: petty." Emilie rolled her eyes. "You've done this a hundred times before; what's so important that you aren't readily doing it now?" He looked her over. "And didn't you have all your memories last time, too? I've never had one of you come back twice in a row with everything there."

Emilie let out a dry laugh and started walking again. "You make me sound geriatric," she grumbled. "But it's not like you can ever leave here, so if you must know, yes, I remember everything. I was Helena for two years, but when I went back to Paris, I figured out too much. Ended up back where I spent my time as Emilie, and the Guardians didn't like that."

Enlil raised an eyebrow. "That's not enough to break the seal on your memories. I've seen you lot come through here with a million different names and no idea why you had to do this. So what changed?"

"I have a son." She cast a quick glance at him, gauging his reaction. No temper tantrum, so that was a good sign. "Helena met him, Gabriel too. When Helena started spending too much time with Gabriel, the Guardians stormed in thinking he would tell her the truth. They saw Adrien and connected the dots. Realized why I had been so cooperative last time. When they tried to hurt him, I got my memories back and my powers reawakened to protect him. The only reason I left is because they promised not to hurt either of them if I did."

For a moment, Enlil didn't respond, but finally, "What makes you think they won't turn right back around and do it once you're someone else?"

"Adrien is Plagg's latest chosen." She pursed her lips and looked down at her hands. "Anything they want to try will have to get through him first."

"Plagg is rather… protective." He let out a breathy laugh. "The two of you could have done so much better than serving humanity."

Emilie frowned and glared at Enlil. "You thinking that is exactly why we decided to help humans in the first place. If we leave them unprotected, someone like you will just come up again." She shook her head, knowing her father wouldn't understand. "Let's just get this over with."

She walked ahead, head held high in a last act of defiance, even if the Guardians couldn't see it. Finally, she made it around the corner and into another room containing nothing but a small, blue stone.

With a sigh, Emilie approached it and stooped down to pick it up. She rolled it in her fingers before letting it settle in the palm of her hand, and the world faded around her.

* * *

It wasn't Emilie this time, or even Helena. It was a woman in a colonial dress of a sapphire hue, her hair piled on top of her head with intricate ringlets pinned to it. She looked Enlil over, trying to reconcile her own lifestyle with his appearance with the temple's.

"Am I being punished?" she asked.

"Yes." He started walking down the hall and motioned for her to follow. "You've made many decisions, both good and bad, that led up to this. You've spent the past… what, five years in the colonies?"

The woman nodded. "Exactly," she replied. "I'm the governor's wife, you know. People will come looking for me."

"They won't find you. This is your last cycle. You're recharged enough to return to your miraculous."

The woman furrowed her eyebrows. "My miraculous?" she asked. "What's that?"

Enlil paused, wondering how best to word it. "A miraculous is… a conduit. You channel your powers through it to help a human being achieve their goals, whatever they may be. The Guardians exist to make sure the right person gets it."

"Is this the miraculous?"

"No. It's the Ekur, a sort of… way station. You'll understand once you go back."

The woman nodded slowly. "What about my husband?" she asked. "And the people who will be looking for me?"

"Eventually they will give up or die, such is the nature of their lives." Enlil stopped, then gestured to another room. "It is, in the end, your choice whether or not you return, but you won't be able to find your way back to your town regardless."

The woman looked from Enlil to the room, then took a deep breath. She walked inside.

* * *

"I figured it out."

"You wouldn't be the first to- or the last."

The woman looked up at Enlil. She was so much different from the one before, her hair a stringy mess and her clothes worn from years of use. "Can't say I understand how you fit in, though."

"You don't need to."

She looked down the hall. "I go through this more often than the others. My power is different than theirs, allows me insight they don't have."

Enlil sighed shifted on his feet, realizing they'd be there for a while. "The others last about seven years a cycle. It's strange when you get five."

"Then that's my goal for next time. Live there as long as possible with as few memory triggers as possible."

He scoffed. "Good luck with that."

* * *

She looked at her brother, a frown on her face. He wore a green shirt, she a blue dress. "Will we remember each other?"

"No," Enlil replied. "You won't even be together next time; it will just be you. Sass is returning to his miraculous, but you haven't recharged enough yet."

"Recharged?" her brother asked. "And look, I know I've got a bit of a tongue, but I have a name- we both do."

Enlil rolled his eyes. "You have identities. Sass is your true name, as Duusu is hers." He sighed and shook his head. "It's better not to get into semantics about this; you've both already made your choice, correct?"

The duo frowned, shoulders slumping. "Yes." Sass looked from his sister to Enlil. "My abilities… they're dangerous. And they put her in danger, too. People started to notice what she could do."

Slowly, Enlil nodded his head. The woman got the distinct sense he was ready to mock them.

"Can we just get this over with?" she demanded. "I have no desire to be here any longer than I have to. It's creepy, and so are you."

"Very well."

* * *

Happy new year, everyone! Here's to a great 2020!


	15. The Choice is Obvious

**The Choice is Obvious**

Chat Blanc climbed up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, a single focus in mind. He had to find his mom; he couldn't lose her again.

"Okay, now take a deep breath and close your eyes." His father's voice could only be heard in the back of his mind, the source completely out of sight. Hawkmoth sounded cool, calm, _nurturing_ even. Chat Blanc was starting to understand why so many people agreed to help him. "Adrien, focus." Right.

Chat Blanc closed his eyes and took in a long, slow breath. _Find Mom_, he told himself. When he opened his eyes again, the world was in black and white, save the image of a bright blue van driving down the street superimposed over an empty road. "I see the van," he said. "Or at least, where the van was. It's not there anymore."

Again, Hawkmoth's voice came through his mind. "Good," he said. "Now I don't want you to follow it yourself; just let your mind-"

Whatever he was going to say next was cut off, and Chat Blanc realized he was falling. He hit the top deck of the Tower, and he looked up to see Ladybug standing over him, a sad, scared look on her face.

"You went too far, Hawkmoth," she growled. Then, her voice softened. "Chat, if you're in there, I'm going to save you."

_Oh shit_.

Chat wasn't sure if that was his own thought or his father's words coming through, and quite frankly, he didn't have time to care. "Ladybug, you don't understand," he said. "Hawkmoth isn't evil, and I need his help for this!"

Ladybug shook her head. "I'm sorry, kitty. I know our identities are supposed to remain a secret, but-" As she reached for his ring, Chat realized he didn't have a choice in the matter. He kicked out, throwing Ladybug off him long enough to scramble up and jump down the side of the Eiffel Tower he'd seen the van on.

He slowed his descent with his baton, but he couldn't afford to waste a second. The second she recovered, Ladybug would be on him which, in a different scenario, might have been welcome, but he had a job to do now, and in her mind, it was her job to stop him.

Chat Blanc landed in a roll then took off running. No time to lose.

"Do you think you can shake her, or do you need help?"

"I'm fine," Chat grit out, already growing frustrated when he heard footsteps behind him. "Just give me a minute and I'll lose her."

A yo-yo string wrapped around his midsection and arms, and he realized a minute would be too late. Okay. He could talk his way out of this. He hadn't exactly ever talked his way out of worse situations, but he did convince Nathalie to let him eat three pieces of cake on his twelfth birthday, and that was no easy feat either.

He closed his right hand into a fist, hoping to prevent Ladybug from just snatching the ring right off his finger. She dropped down in front of him, pulling the string taught and revealing tears in her eyes.

"My Lady, you don't understand," Chat Blanc said, praying the desperation in his voice made it through to her. "Hawkmoth, he's not evil; I don't even want your miraculous right now."

Ladybug shook her head. "Chat, whatever he's telling you is a lie," she declared. "Him saying he doesn't want the miraculous now is just to lure you into a false sense of security."

"No, it's _not_," Chat insisted. "At least not this time. And never again. You don't understand what's happening; you have to let me go!"

"Not a chance, kitty."

Chat let out a frustrated huff, and it became apparent where this was going. "Cataclysm!"

Ladybug gasped and jumped back, trying to get out of his reach. Chat Blanc just twisted his hand, catching the lowest piece of string around him. Instantly, it dissolved into ash, and he took off running again, Ladybug following after. She wasn't about to give up, and they both knew it. Hell, it felt like the only way to stop her would be to drop a building on her!

Chat Blanc froze as he came upon a church, the idea repeating in his head. He looked up at the building, spotting a rose window. _1239_, his mind offered, repeating the information from the dream he had a week ago, the same day he first met Helena. It was a sign, or perhaps a premonition. It wouldn't be the first one he'd followed through on.

He turned his head to see Ladybug was almost on him again. "Cataclysm!" He slammed his hand against one of the columns, and it disintegrated. Without that support, the rest of the building tilted and began to fall- right on top of Ladybug. He watched, awe and horror in his eyes.

"She'll be okay, right?"

"Yes," Hawkmoth promised him. "Her kwami's magic will protect her; she's just going to have a hard time getting out."

Chat nodded. "Okay." He turned away, seeking out the speck of sapphire the van became when he used his powers. The world faded to black and white again, until that hint of blue raced past him. "It's going down the same street."

He took off after the phantom van, taking to the rooftops to better keep an eye on it. Eventually, the van stopped, the sapphire image superimposed over the real thing, and Chat Blanc let the world return to its normal hues. "17th arrondissement," he said. "I'm going in."

"No you are not!" Hawkmoth snapped inside his head. "You are waiting until I can get there, and we do this together. Do you understand me?"

Chat sighed but nodded all the same. "Yeah," he agreed. He sat down on the roof across the street, expecting his father to be no less than ten minutes; even at a superhero's speed, this was pretty far from home.

"You need to go home now."

Chat jerked and let out a yelp, spinning around the face Hawkmoth. "You… fast… how?"

"The butterfly miraculous allows me to teleport directly to my champions," Hawkmoth explained. "Now really, _go. Home._"

"What?" Chat asked, shocked by the demand. "You… you really think I'm just gonna go home and let you do this alone?" He scoffed and shook his head. "I don't care if I never get to be Chat Noir again after this; I'm _going_ to save Mom."

Hawkmoth looked him over for a moment, sizing up his claim, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine," he agreed with a sigh. "But if it gets to be too much, I reserve the right to-"

"No. I'm doing this, and I'm seeing it through to the end." Chat Blanc straightened his back, resolute in his stance.

After a moment, Hawkmoth nodded again. "You're just like her, you know that?"

Chat Blanc smiled. "So I've heard." He turned back around to face the building they knew held Emilie. "So how do we do this? Have you ever… _seen_ it happen before?"

"No," Hawkmoth replied solemnly. "Emilie kept me out of all that on purpose. Said it was behind us since the Guardians were gone… or at least that's what we thought." He took in and let out a heavy breath. "We're going in blind."

Briefly, Chat considered the options. "Unless I watch what I'm about to do." He blinked, a couple of times, letting the real world fade away in favor of a vision.

He watched as he dropped into the warehouse from above, landing on the ground in the center of a ring of Guardians. His glowing hand made contact with the floor, knocking them all off their feet and sending them to the uneven ground below. Before he could recover, another Guardian ran over and grabbed him by the hair, jerking him back. He saw a glint of metal pass in front of his face, then-

Chat Blanc gasped, a hand going to his throat. The real world snapped back into focus, especially his father standing in front of him, worry in his eyes.

"Adrien?" he whispered, like he needed to say his son's name but was afraid of anyone else noticing. "Adrien, what happened?"

"The roof," he declared. He swallowed and slowly lowered his hand, trying to remember everything else about the warehouse.

"Adrien, your neck," Hawkmoth breathed. He traced the angry red line Chat intuitively knew was there. "Please, son, go home."

Chat shook his head. "It's fine," he insisted. "Now I know what they're expecting and how to manipulate that. My vision won't come true."

Hawkmoth looked him over again with eyes that were distinctly _Gabriel__'s _before he finally nodded. "Alright. What do you remember?"

Chat Blanc took a deep breath, trying to recall the smaller details of his vision. "Mom would have been at the opposite end of the warehouse from the door. There's some kind of arc there with a portal inside it. It's swirling and green and- do you remember that show I used to watch? Danny Phantom?"

"You made your mother and I watch it with you all the time; _yes_, I remember."

"Well it's kind of like the ghost portal from that show, except there's someone in front of it chanting some spell. There are ten other people in there, too, most of them in the center of the building standing guard, but there's one by the door, too. That's the person who… uh…"

Hawkmoth nodded in understanding. "I'll take them out first."

Chat Blanc blinked a couple of times as he realized just what he meant. "Oh my god, Dad!"

"It's them or you; I think the choice is obvious." He took in a deep breath and put his hands on Chat's shoulders. "I don't want you to have blood on your hands, but if the Guardians don't die, they _will_ try again. Just get your mother and get out as fast as you can. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir." He looked to the building and shuddered. No matter what happened in there, things would never be the same. "I'm going to try the roof anyway."

"And I'll go through the front door when you do."

Chat Blanc jumped across the street, landing on the roof of the warehouse. He walked to the center and held up his hand. "Cataclysm!" He slammed his hand down and fell through the roof, then immediately summoned his power again. The floor collapsed under him, but this time, no one came to slit his throat.

He jumped back up and looked over to see Hawkmoth removing his sword from the chest of his would-be killer. He turned the other way and saw the chanting Guardian walk through the portal. Chat ran over, not taking a second to think as he dove through the portal.

It took him a moment to collect himself and remember where he was. Everything felt fuzzy, like he was walking through gelatin.

"Kid? Kid, wake up!"

Adrien awoke with a start to see Plagg floating in front of him. The world shifted and became crystal clear, like he'd suddenly been given a knife to help him navigate. He looked around, seeing a temple of some sort, except everything was pure white. "Where are we? Is this heaven? Am I dead?"

"No. Not yet."

Adrien spun around to see the Guardian he'd chased through the portal. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to find his voice again. "I'm not going to let you take my mother."

The Guardian scoffed. "It's too late for that," he replied. "But since you're so determined, it appears we have two options. One: you can die here and now. Two: you commit to the cycle until you die."

"Like hell," Plagg spat out.

The Guardian tutted his tongue like he was scolding a child. "I'm disappointed, Plagg. You used to be the biggest supporter of the cycle. Said it kept you all in check."

"That was before you killed Tikki's daughter." He floated up to the Guardian, a scowl on his face. "We made the Order to protect humanity, not to punish innocents."

Adrien's jaw dropped, trying to process all the revelations he had just received. Tikki… that was Ladybug's kwami. She had a daughter? Who died? Because of the Guardians? And that didn't even touch on the fact that apparently the kwamis had formed the Order of the Guardians in the first place.

"She could have misused her power."

"She was ten!" Plagg pulled back and shook his head. "You know, we formed the Order when we were young and scared of our own abilities. Scared we'd turn out like our father. But time and time again, the only instance where any of us has intentionally done wrong was when we realized we were being manipulated and having our memories erased every time we started to remember we had powers!" He let out a breathy laugh. "The Order is doing more harm than good now. It has been for the past three thousand years."

He turned, looking to Adrien. "C'mon, kid. Let's find your mom."

"You're not getting away that easily-"

"Cataclysm!"

Adrien watched, awestruck, as Plagg turned around, laying a paw on the Guardian. He turned to ash before fading into nothing in the pristine temple. Instantly, the place shook, nearly throwing Adrien off his feet. "What's happening?" he asked.

"The portal is collapsing!" Plagg yelled, flying back over to Adrien. "C'mon! We don't have much time!"

Adrien ran after Plagg, following him through twists and turns he couldn't even see. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of Emilie as she stared at a small, blue stone in the palm of her hand. "Mom!" he called out to her, but she clearly couldn't hear. "Mom!"

When he got no response the second time, he grabbed her wrist and tugged, pulling her out of her reverie. Still in a fog, she followed him as Plagg led them both back through the portal.

Adrien fell to his hands and knees in the warehouse, back in his Chat Noir suit. Next to him lay Emilie, unconscious. He scrambled over, checking her for any wounds. Seeing none, he shook her gently. "Wake up," he begged, a whispered prayer. "Please, please, wake up."

The heavens must have heard him, because Emilie slowly opened her eyes, looking around at the world. "What… where am I?" she asked weakly.

Chat couldn't give a proper explanation, just crumbling into Emilie's embrace. "Mom," he choked out. "Mom, I was so scared! I thought we lost you again!" He slowly pulled away, only to see that Emilie's brows were furrowed together, her jaw hanging open slightly.

She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, kid. I'm not your mom. I'm not anyone's mom." Chat Noir deflated. No, his heart broke. Emilie- no, the woman who used to be Emilie- turned her head, noticing Hawkmoth standing a few feet away. She pointed to Chat, who was sure he looked like he was seconds from sobbing. "He yours?"

"Emilie…" Hawkmoth began slowly, taking a couple of steps towards her.

"My name's not Emilie," the blonde insisted, cool and level-headed. "My name is Madelaine."


	16. Interlude - I Saidn't Have Should That

**Interlude – I Saidn't Have Should That**

Everything hurt. Someone had taken that moment you wake up and immediately realize you've got the flu and dropped it on her with the full force of a church behind it. She tried to take a breath, but dust filled her lungs and made her cough. She opened her eyes just enough to see light come in through the fissures in the collapsed walls.

_Get up,_ a little voice inside her head that sounded suspiciously like Tikki whispered. _The longer you__'re in here, the more likely you are to get stuck_.

Right. If the rubble collapsed in on itself, she could get hurt.

She sat up, quickly finding that she barely had enough room to do that. This was going to take some interesting maneuvering. Her left leg had some weight on it, but it didn't quite feel trapped.

"Okay," she told herself, "I can do this." Slowly, she began pulling her leg back in towards her body, watching as the rubble around it caved in inch by inch. "Please don't collapse, please don't collapse, please don't collapse…"

Her leg came free and she winced, waiting for the remains of the building to fall on her head, but they never came. She opened one eye, then two. She was okay; she was alive. She maneuvered into a crouch, looking for a safe exit and letting her mind wander.

What had upset Chat so much that he got akumatized? She knew his home life wasn't exactly great- had his father finally done something to push him over the edge?

God, she hoped not. Chat was sure his father would make him give up his miraculous if he found out, but Ladybug had a different theory. He was, according to Chat, always wrapped up in his business to the point of neglecting anything else- even his own health and his _child_\- so Ladybug's theory was that he would make Chat the poster boy for the company, and if word got out that a local small business was able to get _Chat Noir_ as a spokesperson, it wouldn't be long before people connected the dots.

She pushed on a slab of concrete and felt it move under her hands. Ha! She pushed again, and light flooded in, blinding her. Almost there. Almost free.

One last shove, and the rock fell out of her way. The rocks around it began to fall, and Ladybug jumped out before they could land on her.

It took a moment for her to gather herself and adjust to the blinding orange light hitting her. How was it already sunset? How long as she been out?

"Ladybug!"

Ladybug jerked her head to see a paramedic running over the rubble towards her. She stopped when they were only a foot apart.

"Holy shit, we thought you were dead," the paramedic breathed.

Ladybug recognized her from the other day, when Chat has been in that car accident. "It's, uh… Bernard, right? Maria Bernard?"

The paramedic nodded. "Call me Maria," she replied with a soft smile. "Come on, we need to get you checked out; you may have a concussion."

"I'm sorry, I can't stay," Ladybug replied. "I still need to track down the akuma and-"

"You mean Chat Blanc?"

Ladybug cringed. She'd hoped no one would find out about that. "Um… yeah. Him."

Maria shook her head. "He went dark after he dropped the church on you. He hasn't shown up once."

Her frown deepened. "All the more reason for me to go and find him. We have no way of knowing what he's doing right now, and I don't think anyone wants to find out what he's planning."

"I guess," Maria replied with a slight scoff. "It's just… he could've broken down the rubble and gotten your miraculous while you were unconscious, but he didn't. Maybe that wasn't his goal- or the one Hawkmoth gave him."

Ladybug shook her head. "If Hawkmoth wasn't going after my and Chat Noir's miraculous, what was he looking for?"

Maria shrugged. "Ask Chat." She looked Ladybug over one more time. "Are you sure I can't convince you to get checked out?"

"I'm sure," Ladybug replied. "No one else was hurt?"

"Not a soul."

"Then I need to go. Thanks for your concern, Maria!"

Ladybug cast out her yo-yo and headed off, running across rooftops and keeping an eye out for anything that looked like Chat's handiwork.

It didn't take her long to realize that was a fat lot of nothing. The roads were pristine (well, as they ever were), and it looked like the church was the only building Chat Blanc had taken down. This called for a bit of good fortune.

She called for a lucky charm, stunned when a large, white, pentagon-shaped piece of plastic landed in her hands. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied it for a moment, trying to figure out what it could be for. Her eyes darted around, but she stopped when they landed on the Agreste mansion. Gabriel, Helena, and Adrien were near the gate, Gabriel pulling his keys out of his pocket.

Well… no harm in talking to them, right? See how Helena was doing after the crash- at least in part. It was also an excuse to talk to Adrien.

Ladybug dropped down in front of the trio, noting the stunned looks she received. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine, Ladybug," Gabriel replied with a heavy sigh that made her feel like it most certainly _was not_ fine. "It's just been a very long afternoon for all of us."

Ladybug nodded in understanding. "Believe me, I know the feeling. I don't suppose you came across Chat Blanc, did you?" If she'd known what to look for, she would have noticed Adrien's whole body tense up.

"Chat Blanc?" Adrien asked, voice squeaking a little. He cleared his throat nervously. "I, uh, I didn't know Chat Noir had been akumatized."

Ladybug nodded, a concerned frown on her face. "It was his asshole father, I'd bet you anything," she grumbled. Another squeak escaped Adrien, and Ladybug jerked her head up. "I-um- gah- um- I saidn't have should that. Shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, I will leave you to your night."

"Why do you have that?" Helena finally spoke up.

Ladybug's attention jerked down to the pentagon still in her hands. "It's my lucky charm," she explained. "I haven't figured out what to do with it yet."

"A baseball base?" Adrien asked. "How are you supposed to use that?"

"I think it would be rather obvious," Gabriel muttered, averting his eyes to the lock on the gate so he wouldn't meet Ladybug's eyes.

Ladybug furrowed her brows together. How was it supposed to be obvious? "What do you mean?" she asked.

Gabriel hesitated before turning to Ladybug again. "It's not just a base; it's a home base. It's telling you to go home. If Chat Blanc isn't causing chaos chasing you for your miraculous, he's probably not an akuma anymore. Hawkmoth probably realized he couldn't convince him to take your miraculous or turn either of them over and gave up. Deakumatized him himself."

"You really think Hawkmoth would give up that easily, even on _one _akuma, especially when that victim is _Chat Noir_?" Ladybug shook her head. "I've gotta find him before it's too late." A heavy sigh escaped her, and she braced her head in her hands. "I've gotta fix this."

"Go _home_, Ladybug."

Ladybug couldn't help but jerk her head up to stare at Gabriel strangely. Sure, she hadn't spoken to him many times, but from the few times she had and what Adrien had to say about him, Ladybug never would have expected such a kind, nurturing tone to come from him. He _actually_ sounded concerned.

If Gabriel was in any way unsettled by her reaction, he didn't show it. He kept his cool and continued on in a voice that sounded more like her own father's than a fashion mogul's. "Chat Blanc obviously isn't showing up tonight, if at all. The only thing you're going to do is wear yourself out to the point that you can't properly function tomorrow. You look like you're my son's age; you must have school tomorrow! You can't go in exhausted, and if you do, you'll just make yourself sick. Go home."

Ladybug considered it. The past few days had been crazy with akumas every day and the whole Helena debacle to boot. She felt like she was running on fumes, and she desperately needed sleep. But…

"Every second Chat's under Hawkmoth's control is a second he's in danger," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'm not sleeping until I know he's safe. Have a good night, all of you."

She turned and took off running, knowing she'd had to stop to refuel soon anyway. She dropped behind another building, out of the Agrestes' sight, and let her transformation wash over her.

The first thing Tikki did upon popping out of the earrings was say, "Gabriel's right, Marinette."

"You were listening in?" Marinette asked, followed by a sigh as she began to dig through her purse for a cookie. She pulled out a macaron and handed it off to Tikki. "I know I _should_ go get some sleep, but I can't stop thinking about poor Chat, stuck out there akumatized. His father might suck, but I'm sure his house is better than sleeping on the streets!"

Tikki ate her cookie, patiently waiting for Marinette to finish her rambling. "It wouldn't be the first time a butterfly wielder- even Hawkmoth specifically- withdrew a senshi."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows together. "A senshi?" she asked. "What, is that another name for the butterflies or something?"

"Not quite," Tikki replied. "Only kwamis, the butterfly wielder, and their champions can feel the difference, but a senshi is like an akuma, only without malicious intentions. They may not be completely pure, but they're not bad. They're warriors, plain and simple. Chat Blanc _really_ wasn't after your miraculous, Marinette. Neither of them were, or it would have been an akuma."

"And it was a senshi? You're sure?" Marinette asked. "It wasn't some akuma disguised as a senshi?"

Tikki shook her head. "You can't disguise the energy difference. Maybe something happened that was more important to him than the miraculous. Usually the senshi are at least a little selfish, even if they're doing the right thing. If they weren't, they'd be seijin."

"Which means…"

"Saints. It's not the best translation, but it's close enough. Holy men. Do-gooders. People fighting because it's the right thing to do, not for their own sake. They're hard to come by because they require such little concern for the champion's situation on their own behalf. They have to be detached from the situation, and the ones around it rarely are."

"So whatever Chat was doing was personal," Marinette realized with a heavy sigh. She looked away, then back over to Tikki. "I _really_ need to find him now. Tikki, spots on!"

The familiar pinkish-red light washed over her, and she took off running again.

* * *

It was at least another half hour before she found Chat, back in his regular black suit. She practically barreled into him.

Chat let out a little 'oof' as he felt to the rooftop he was standing on. He turned, mind catching up as he realized who had tackled him. "My- my lady, I swear I'm not-"

"I know," Ladybug cut in. "My kwami told me that you were a senshi, not an akuma." She glanced down and realized she was still on top of him. A bright red blush came to her cheeks, and she crawled off him but didn't bother standing up. "What happened?"

Chat hesitated, pursing his lips together. "I'm not sure if I should tell you," he confessed. "It was… _really_ personal."

"If it wasn't, you would've been a seijin." At Chat Noir's strange look, she clarified, "Tikki."

Chat nodded.

After a moment of silence, Ladybug continued, "If you do need to talk about, I'm always here for you. Even if you do have to leave out chunks of information. I just can't figure out what it could be that Hawkmoth was involved, too."

A dry laugh came from Chat Noir, and he shook his head. "God, I wish I could tell you," he replied. "But, um… I don't think he's going to be a problem anymore."

"Something you found out while you were his champion?"

"Yeah." He looked away from her then, like he was afraid he'd say something he shouldn't. Ladybug couldn't exactly blame him. It killed her not to know what he'd found out, but if the danger was gone, was there really any harm in letting him keep it a secret?

After a long moment of silence, he spoke again. "Did Master Fu ever tell you about why he left the Guardians? That the temple, uh…"

"The bad chosen," Ladybug replied with a nod.

"They aren't all gone," Chat continued. "Well, I think they probably are now, but… before. I-I don't think Master Fu even realizes- he said he was too young to know all their secrets when it happened- but the chosen who destroyed the temple, he saved the kwamis from a lot of pain."

Okay, Ladybug had to admit: she was even more curious now. What the hell had Chat Blanc been up to? He clearly remembered what happened, and Marinette only saw that in two other cases: Lila the second time she'd been Volpina, when Hawkmoth withdrew the akuma after she made the illusion of Ladybug being akumatized; and her own father after Marinette had gotten the rose, fulfilling his 'mission.' So… "How did you get desenshi'd?"

For a moment, Chat Noir didn't answer, like he was wondering whether or not to tell her the truth. Finally, he said, "An interdimensional portal forcibly separated me from Plagg, and without him to power my miraculous, the senshi was forced to stay on the other side of the portal."

…

…

…

"Okay, keep your secrets."

A snort bubbled up from Chat Noir, followed shortly by all-out laughter. It was contagious, and Ladybug couldn't help but fall apart, too, and the two superheroes let out all their exhaustion on the roof before practically passing out atop one another.

* * *

Sorry for the delay in this, everyone! I got diagnosed with narcolepsy and have been fumbling around trying to get my medicine set straight ever since. So tell me: what do you think Gabriel's going to do when he realizes Adrien isn't home in the morning?


	17. Creepy Murder Bullshit

**Creepy Murder Bullshit**

"My name is Madelaine," the woman repeated for the third time the past half hour, a result of one of them calling her by the wrong name. This time, it was him.

"Apologies," Gabriel muttered. He handed her a cup of tea. "Where are you from, Madelaine?"

Madelaine looked him over for a second, suspicion in her eyes, before determining he was safe to talk to. "Sydney," she finally replied. "I'm a bartender- or I _was_; I have no idea how I got here."

It was like Helena had been turned up to eleven, and Gabriel could see the pain it caused Adrien. He cast a cursory glance at him, sitting in a chair with his elbows on his knees, and he let out a sigh.

"Why don't we take this to another room?" Gabriel suggested.

Madelaine scoffed. "Like hell," she replied. "I doubt you'd pull any creepy murder bullshit with your kid here, so he stays."

Gabriel nodded a bit. "I understand your concerns," he said. "If you'd like, I have a phone; you could call your friends, family, boss…"

Madelaine held out a hand expectantly, at which point Gabriel fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Please don't inform anyone of how my son and I appeared when we first came across you," he added in.

"Like anyone would believe me." She opened his phone and started typing in a number.

Adrien watched on as she typed away. "You should really password protect that thing," he mentioned. "Especially with how prominent you are."

Madelaine lifted the phone to her ear and waited, but they could all hear the dial-up noise that came from it. "We're sorry. The number you are currently trying to reach is not in service. Please check the number and try again."

Madelaine jerked the phone away from her ear, a scowl on her face. "What the hell?" she asked the device. "That's his number!"

"Is there anyone else you could contact?"

"No, not really," she replied dismissively. She let out a frustrated groan and buried her head in her hands. "I don't have anywhere to stay; I don't even have money to get back to Sydney-"

"You could stay here!"

Both Gabriel and Madelaine jerked their heads to look at Adrien, who went from perked up and attentive to suddenly slouching again. "I mean, if that's okay with you… Dad."

Gabriel nodded mutely, then turned his attention to Madelaine again. "Adrien's idea is good, if you'd like to stay."

For a moment, Madelaine looked like she was going to turn the offer down flat, but then her face softened. "You'd really do that?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Gabriel assured her. "Everyone has a rough run of luck now and again." He turned to Adrien. "Why don't we go get some water for the five of us?"

Adrien raised an eyebrow, but Gabriel tilted his head down and that seemed to be all it took for him to understand. He got up and headed towards the kitchen, Gabriel following close behind. The second the first door shut behind them, he stopped and turned around.

"Are you seriously not going to try to convince her she's Mom?" Adrien asked in a whisper-yell.

"She won't believe us," Gabriel replied, voice calm but with far more concern than he would have displayed even a day ago. "I know you want her to remember; I do, too. But the best way to get her to remember is to show her, not tell her. The more we push her to believe she's Emilie, the more she'll push back, and if we push her to the point that she leaves, she will find a way to Australia and we'll never see her again."

Adrien stood there for a moment, clearly thinking up objections, but before he could say anything, Nooroo piped up.

"As far as she knows, she's human and has always been Madelaine. It's going to take time to convince her otherwise because she doesn't have reason to believe she isn't. She had Madelaine's memories of a _whole life_; that doesn't go away just because you tell her it's fake. The only reason Helena remembered is because you were in danger, and even then it was because _Helena_ had started to care for you. She probably wouldn't have even come if she wasn't already suspicious on a subconscious level. Back me up here, Plagg."

No response.

"Plagg?"

Adrien let out a frustrated sigh and walked past Gabriel back to the parlor. "Plagg…" He opened the door and sure enough, Plagg floated there talking to Madelaine.

"So you don't know _anything_ about the crusades?" he asked. "Not even stuff from school as a kid? Not even anything about the Cathars?"

Madelaine furrowed her brows together in confusion. "What's a Cathar?"

"Nothing?"

"Look, if this is some weird magical hazing thing, I'm not into it." Madelaine shook her head and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Plagg mimicked her actions, looking her over carefully. "You're being pretty chill for learning magical creatures exist."

That was enough. "Plagg!" Adrien snapped. "Leave her alone."

Plagg looked from Madelaine to Adrien and back again. "Fine," he grumbled, floating over to Adrien.

Gabriel watched the entire exchange from the middle of the hall, contemplating when the best time to cut in would be.

"Why would you start grilling her about the crusades, Plagg?" Adrien asked, frustration and exhaustion evident in his voice. "We were literally _just_ talking about how trying to force her to remember wouldn't do any good! You would have known that if you were with me!"

"Adrien," Gabriel said with a sigh. "I don't know if you realize it, but the main seven kwamis are siblings. This is as painful for them as it is for us."

Adrien stared at his father for a moment, mouth agape, before he turned to Plagg. "Is that true?" he asked.

Plagg nodded without saying anything. There was something in his stance, how he held himself, that Gabriel couldn't identify. It wasn't solemnity, it wasn't anger… what was it?

This wasn't the time to handle that. Not when they were all tired and cranky and ready to go at each other's throats. "Let's just… have dinner and go to bed, and we can start over in the morning, hm?" Gabriel offered.

"I'm not hungry," Adrien grumbled, heading out the other door.

With a sigh, Gabriel followed, only to see the door after it swinging. Damn that kid was fast. At least he was headed towards his room.

Gabriel fixed three glasses of water and informed the chef to make enough food for three in case Adrien changed his mind, then returned to Madelaine.

"I'm sorry about that," he said. "Plagg can be a tad abrasive."

"A tad?" Madelaine and Nooroo asked in concert.

He couldn't help the snort that escaped him, but he regained his composure in a second. "I'm afraid Adrien has decided to go to bed early. I know you're not comfortable being alone with me, so I would be happy to call in my assistant, Nathalie-"

"_Dude_," Madelaine cut in. "I was, like, 90% screwing with you when I said that. Besides, the fairy will protect me. Right, little purple guy?"

"My name is Nooroo," Nooroo replied cordially. "And it's a pleasure to meet you."

Madelaine smiled and let out a tiny laugh. "Except you think this isn't our first meeting either, right?" she asked. "You're with them on the whole 'my real name is Emilie Agreste' boat."

Nooroo nodded. "To be more accurate, I think it's Duusu, and that Emilie is just a name you used, but I won't press," they promised.

"Thank you." Madelaine turned to Gabriel. "So does anyone else know about Catboy and Mothman, or am I just lucky."

"Lucky," he replied. "It's important to us that you don't tell anyone who we are- either of us. There are people we both care about who would be put in danger if knowledge of our identities was made public."

"Right," Madelaine said with a nod. "This is so different from back home."

Gabriel laughed and smiled. "Welcome to Paris," he replied simply.

* * *

The next morning, Gabriel woke up bright and early, just as he always did. Emilie had wanted their bedroom window to face the east, and over time it turned Gabriel into a (somewhat reluctant) morning person. He got up and went about his morning routine, only pausing to think once he had his coffee.

When was the last time he woke Adrien up for school? Two years was probably the best guess, just based on how awful he'd become in that time. Perhaps a good way to turn over this new leaf would be to restart some old habits.

Gabriel abandoned his coffee and walked to Adrien's room, knocking on the door. When he heard no response, he opened the door ajar, then all the way. He walked around the alcove the entrance was in, only to find the bed made and unslept in.

His heart jumped into his throat, his mind racing with a million different scenarios. The one he finally settled on was probably the worst of them all: that there were still a few straggler Guardians who came and took him in retaliation for saving Emilie- Madelaine.

Shaking hands pulled out a cell phone, and he entered Adrien's number.

_Ring__… ring… ring…_

"Hi, you've reached the cell phone of Adrien Agreste. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number after the beep, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

_Beep_.

He tried to mask the fear in his voice, but it was no use. "Adrien, it's your dad. _Please_ answer your phone, call me back, just let me know you're okay. If it's the Guardians, I'll- I'll find a way to save you I promise just please-" His voice caught in his throat, and he felt hot tears running down his cheeks. "Please call me."

He hung up the phone, then searched through his contacts. He was sure he had the Lahiffe boy's (_fuck what was his name why had he never bothered to learn his son__'s friends' names?_) parents in there somewhere.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mme. Lahiffe, this is Gabriel Agreste. Is Adrien there?" He did a better job at hiding the panic this time.

"No, I'm afraid not," the woman replied. The next thing that came was muffled, like she'd turned away from the phone or put her hand over the receiver. "Nino, honey, have you heard from Adrien?"

"No, sorry. Why?"

"His father's on the phone." Suddenly, her voice became more clear again. "I'm sorry, Nino hasn't seen him either. Perhaps he just got an early start toward school?"

Gabriel took a deep breath, trying to calm his galloping heart. "Right, right, school," he sighed. "I- um- thank you, Mme. Lahiffe. Have a lovely day." He hung up the phone and was about to try André, but hesitated. André didn't keep any better track of Chloé and her friends than Gabriel had when he was under the apathy spell. He spoiled her, but there was no emotional investment in her life.

Gabriel didn't even think about trying Audrey.

Slowly, Gabriel lowered himself to sit on his son's bed and dropped the phone by his side, his mind running away faster than he could keep up with the ideas.

_Ding!_

Gabriel turned to look at the phone and was met with a notification from the Ladyblog. He'd set up Ladybug and Chat Noir sighting notices as Hawkmoth and hadn't yet changed it. He picked up his phone, reading the short blurb.

_Ladybug and Chat Noir spotted sleeping on a roof in the fourth arrondissement._

A heavy breath escaped Gabriel, and he slumped over in his spot. Adrien was safe. But he wouldn't be for long if the paparazzi got up on that roof before he left.

"Nooroo?" he asked, getting up off the bed.

Nooroo flew out of his coat pocket and floated a few feet in front of him. "You're not going to go out there, are you?" they asked suspiciously, eying Gabriel.

"Why not?"

A small snort escaped Nooroo, and they shook their head. "For starters, Hawkmoth causes panic in name alone. Seeing him pick up one of the city's sleeping superheroes will cause enough hysteria to recreate what you did on Heroes' Day. Not to mention if Ladybug wakes up while you're attempting this, you're setting yourself up to get your ass kicked."

Gabriel scoffed. "I held my own rather well against both of them before."

"That was when you were under the apathy spell and didn't know that he was your son and she was fifteen."

Instantly, Gabriel's face fell to a frown. "She's fifteen?" He let out a sigh and sat back down. "I suppose I should have figured that out, given that she and Adrien spend so much time together… Another student at the school, I'm assuming, based on her response times to the akumas I made there."

Nooroo shrugged their shoulders. "You'd have to ask Plagg," they replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I guess I'm down to one option. Nooroo, wings rise." Magic washed over him, and he raised his cane in front of him. A little screen appeared at the top, and he pressed the black-and-green paw print button.

_Ring__… ring… ri-_

An image of his sleepy son appeared. "'Ullo?" he asked.

"Good morning," he said. Instantly, Chat Noir jerked to complete consciousness, and Hawkmoth wished he could ignore the fear that flashed in his eyes. In as soft and gentle a voice he could manage, he said, "You're going to be late for school, son. Why don't you get back home and we can have breakfast?"

"Um…" Chat Noir hesitated, glancing down at Ladybug, still sleeping on his shoulder. "I'm, uh… gonna pass," he finally said. "Gotta get LB up, too. I'll see you at home."

Hawkmoth nodded, but before he could respond, the call ended. He let out a heavy sigh and set the cane down. "Nooroo, wings fall."


	18. I've Got You

**I've Got You**

_Knock, knock._

Adrien cringed reflexively at the sound and the sound of the door opening.

Gabriel cleared his throat as he walked into his son's bedroom, as if knocking wasn't heads up enough. "Plagg, Nooroo, may I please have a moment alone with Adrien?"

Adrien checked over his shoulder for a half second to see the kwamis flying away before he turned back to his game. They'd hardly spoken since Madelaine started living with them, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't at least a bit by design.

It took Gabriel way longer than it should have to cross the room and sit next to Adrien. When he finally did, he took in a deep breath and said, "We need to talk about these past couple of years."

"What's there to talk about?" Adrien asked, refusing to take his eyes off the screen. "The Guardians screwed with your brain. You're better now."

"But they didn't do anything to yours," Gabriel declared. "And you were the one who's had to deal with an abusive father for the past two years who's also apparently been fighting you as a supervillain while you've been running around as a superhero."

Adrien paused the game as he felt his blood rushing in his ears, his chest tightening up. "I-I can't do this right now."

"We have to do it eventually, and the longer we avoid it, the worse it's going to get," Gabriel insisted, placing his hand on Adrien's shoulder. Adrien jerked involuntarily, and Gabriel removed his hand. "Like that." He took in a shaky breath and let it out, and when he spoke again, his voice cracked. "I am… _so sorry_ for the things I did to you. Even if I wasn't in control, you still had to deal with my actions. You have suffered so much, far more than you should ever have to, and I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you."

"I don't know if you can!" The words sprang from Adrien's mouth before he could stop them. He sniffed and wiped at the tears forming in his eyes, trying to stop the deluge. "I know it wasn't you, but you're right, I still had to deal with my _father_ never going to my fencing meets and isolating me from my friends and promising to have dinner with me but never showing up! And I want to move on and have things go back to normal, but I don't know if I can!" Sobs wracked his body, and he alternated between barely getting a sentence out without pausing to collect himself and racing through give before he broke. "And I'm terrified I'm so scared something's gonna happen that more are gonna come and they're gonna take you both away from me again and I don't know if I can live through that again!"

Gabriel took a deep breath, trying not to break down and join his son in his sadness, but he knew he couldn't do that right now. He had to be strong for him. "That is not going to happen," Gabriel promised. "The Guardians are gone now; they're never going to hurt this family again. And it's going to take time and work, and we may never go back to the way things were, but we'll get better. That is my number one priority; _you_ are my number one priority. I don't care if it means selling the company and moving into a shitty studio apartment where I have to sleep on the couch every night. I am going fight like hell for you, do you understand?"

Adrien nodded slowly, then took a deep breath and turned to look at Gabriel. "I can't stay here tonight," he declared. "I can't stay… in this _house_, where they took Mom, in this _room_, where you left me alone every day." Another deep breath. He needed to be able to get this out in one go without breaking down. "Do you know what happened when you made that Sandboy akuma?" He didn't wait for an answer. "My nightmare was being trapped in this room. The windows got prison bars on them all of a sudden, and then they kept getting closer and closer and closer. And I called out for _you_. And you didn't show… You were the one who put me there."

Gabriel couldn't keep his composure any longer. A sob escaped him, and he rested his forehead in one hand. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," Adrien choked out. "But I need some time."

Hesitantly, reluctantly, Gabriel nodded. "Please keep me updated," he whispered, not trusting his voice to be any louder. "Or at least Nathalie or The Gorilla, if you don't want me to know where you are."

Adrien lunged, wrapping Gabriel in a hug and sobbing. "Thank you," he whimpered before pulling away. He stood up. "Plagg!"

The black kwami zipped in, and it was painfully obvious he had been listening in the entire time.

"Claws out!"

After Plagg's green light washed over him, Chat Noir ran out the window.

Chat didn't realize where he was going until he was already there, just around the block from his own home. He knocked on the door, not really knowing what to expect.

He really should have hoped for someone other than Tom Dupain to answer. He appeared to be okay with him not returning Marinette's crush on Chat Noir, but that could have changed since they last met. He watched as Tom's expression went from confused to irritated to worried.

"Can I stay here tonight?" His voice came out cracking, a barely-intelligible squeak.

Tom barely gave half a nod before Chat Noir collapsed into him, letting out all his emotions from his talk with his own father.

"Tom, dear, who is- oh!" Sabine peered around her husband, just as shocked as he was to see Chat Noir sobbing into his chest, barely able to support his own weight.

* * *

"Could you pass the mashed potatoes? Thanks."

Chat kept his eyes on the bowl as Marinette accepted it from Tom; it was safer than looking at anything else, really. After he'd collected himself enough, they sat down for dinner, the Dupain-Chengs welcoming him with open arms.

Hardly a word had been spoken since then, though. The family tiptoed around him, only making the occasional comment about the weather or the food before lapsing back into uncomfortable silence. Finally, Tom said something.

"So, Marinette, how are things going with that boy at school you like?"

"Oh my God."

"_Tom_."

"What?" he asked. "I'm just making conversation!"

Chat perked up a little. Thank God Marinette had moved on, even if it was only brought up in a desperate attempt to get _someone_ to say _something_. "There's a boy you like?" Chat asked, turning and smiling at Marinette. "What's his name?"

Marinette turned bright red and buried her head in her hands. "Oh my God, I am _not_ doing this with you."

"Oh come on!" Chat prodded. "You can tell me!"

"It's- gah! It's not important; he doesn't even like me that way, anyway."

Tom groaned. "How would you even know?" he asked. "You haven't told him!"

"I… sort of made it… kind of clear…ish."

Chat snorted at the claim, earning a dirty look from Marinette. "And here I thought you were more forward."

Marinette scowled, but there was still a playful glint in her eyes. "You wanna go? I bet I could take you."

"Maybe in Ultimate Mecha Strike 3," Sabine chimed in, giggling a little. "We can play after dinner and see if Chat Noir's any good." Upon seeing Marinette's face light up, she added in, "_After_ we clean the dishes."

Chat Noir smiled, looking around at the small family, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could ever have this- or something like it- again. He'd never had to wash dishes before, but he remembered watching movies with his parents and sitting at the same end of their giant dining table as them.

He sobbed before he could stop it. He set his fork down and laid his shaking hand on the table, the other hand covering his mouth in a futile attempt to muffle the sound.

Marinette placed a hand over his. "Chat?" she asked. "Chat, what's wrong?"

The words came out against his own will. He needed to tell _someone_ what he was feeling or he'd lose his mind. "I wish I could have this," he choked out. "Family dinners and-and cleaning the dishes and time together."

"Oh honey…"

Three pairs of arms wrapped around him as he sobbed, and he couldn't help but feel more at home than he had in two years; that just made him cry even more. Someone- Sabine, he thought- started petting his hair, cooing and telling him to let it all out, and he did. The most recent wave of sadness fell from him until he couldn't cry any more, and he was left shaking in the Dupain-Chengs' arms. When he calmed down enough, they continued dinner in silence, then moved to the living room, leaving the dishes for later, Tom and Sabine insisted.

Marinette pulled Chat Noir into her, letting him rest his head on her chest, and he purred involuntarily. She didn't seem fazed, continuing to pet him as he transitioned.

"You need to talk to someone, sweetie," Sabine said, reaching out and gently rubbing Chat's calf. He nodded slowly, working up the will to speak.

When he finally did, it was the most painful thing that came out. "My father was Hawkmoth." He broke down into sobs again, the one confession wearing his resolve down. Between the time his mother had disappeared and Helena had shown up, he'd only cried once or twice; apathy spell Gabriel didn't approve. But since her return, he felt like a leaky faucet, just waiting for someone to be foolish enough to try to fix him.

The Dupain-Chengs had gone eerily silent (save a soft "oh shit" from Marinette), seemingly content to let him go at his own pace- or perhaps just too shocked to ask for more information.

"The G- _someone_ cast an apathy spell on him," he finally managed to rasp out. "About two years ago. He changed and I didn't know why, but I felt like everything I did was wrong… and then I became Chat Noir and I finally felt free for the first time in months without-without rules and expectations and the constant fear of not being enough for him." He broke down again, and Marinette resumed petting his hair.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Take your time."

A few shaky breaths later, and he was ready to continue. "Something… _happened_ last week. It broke the spell, and… well, uh, and some other things happened, too, and the first thing he did was apologize for everything and confess to me. And he promised he'd be better and make it up to me, but I told him we had to save-" He caught himself. The ordeal of Emilie Agreste's doppelgänger wasn't exactly something he could claim happened to multiple people in Paris. "Someone. And I told him I was Chat Noir and to akumatize- _senshify_, they're called senshi when they're not corrupted- senshify me so we could save her and we did but I've been avoiding him ever since and today he came into my room to talk and-" He sniffed, his words catching in his throat. "I thought I'd forgiven him; it's not his fault he did it, but I don't, I _couldn__'t_. I can't forgive him, not yet."

Marinette tightened her grip on him and started planting kisses in his hair, trying to calm him down. "It's okay, kitty," she whispered. "You're safe here. You'll always be safe here. Just let it out. I've got you."


	19. I Can't Get His Hopes Up

**I Can't Get His Hopes Up**

Sitting in silence in his son's bedroom, Gabriel wondered how he had managed to fuck up so severely. There was the obvious answer, of course, but that didn't stop the million other what-ifs and why-didn't-Is from coming through.

"I should have been watching for them," Gabriel said to no one in particular. "Should have kept an eye out for any magical influences beyond Emilie. If I had, I could have stopped them before they took her and cast the apathy spell. Then Adrien wouldn't have to be afraid of his own father."

"You had no way of knowing, Gabriel."

Gabriel turned to the kwami floating beside him and gave them a reassuring smile. Well, he tried to. Odds were that it looked just as fake as it felt. "He's still my son, Nooroo, and I did that to him. I made him afraid and I _hunted him_. Did you… did you ever have any children?"

Nooroo nodded. "Three," they confirmed, "long before we gave up our true forms or founded the Order. One was killed by my father, and the others chose to give up their true forms and become kwamis when the rest of us did."

"I'm sorry," Gabriel replied softly. "I didn't realize… but then you know how terrifying it is to see them in danger. Multiply that when you realize you're the one who's been doing it."

"You still have time," Nooroo told him. "It will take time, yes, but you have it."

Gabriel nodded, feeling tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Nooroo. I needed that reminder." He looked around the room, taking stock of everything. The evening sun peeked over the fence and caused the window frames to cast a shadow, one that looked distinctly like prison bars.

Instantly, his mind jumped to what Adrien said had happened during Sandboy. His worst fear, then calling from him and getting no help, the fact that _he_ was the one who did that.

He was the worst. He was _literally_ the worst. He just… _did that_ and without any thought to the fact that his son would have to face his worst fear, too.

"How do I even begin to fix this?"

"I'd say by beginning."

Gabriel jerked his head to look at the door, seeing Madelaine standing by the entrance. "Madelaine," he breathed. "Hi, um… how are you doing this evening?"

"I'm doing alright," Madelaine drawled, walking over to him. She sat down on the sofa. "So what's the drama happening here?"

Gabriel sighed heavily, slouching back in his seat. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you, Madelaine," he confessed. "Hawkmoth- my… alter ego, I guess you could say- was a villain until recently. The same people who kidnapped you and took you to that warehouse cast an apathy spell on me. It was meant to make me not care that they had taken my wife, but my connection with her was so strong that getting her back became the only thing I did care about. I made supervillains to steal jewelry from two children, one of them being Chat Noir… Adrien." He looked her over, noting how she didn't scream or run out of the room. "You're handling this information rather well."

"In the past week, I've been kidnapped, taken to Paris, told I'm someone I'm not by a random guy and his kid who dress up like comic book characters, and invited into their home after meeting the magical beings that give them superpowers. I'm past panic."

A chuckle escaped Gabriel despite his concern and worry. "I suppose when you put it that way…"

Madelaine smiled and leaned against the back of the couch. She reached out, running her fingers through Gabriel's hair. "So what's the issue?" she asked. "Does he not realize you were under a spell?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No, he knows. There are just things that I did… things I can't take back. And even though he knows it wasn't really me, it still looked like me. He thought I didn't care about him anymore."

Madelaine's hand moved to cup his cheek. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. Neither of you should have to deal with that… How are you going to fix it?"

"Stop using my powers unless it's necessary, for one," Gabriel began, glancing over to Nooroo. "And I'm sure you'll be delighted to have a break as well."

Nooroo smiled. "I can't say I'm complaining," they confessed. "It would be very easy to try to show off by making seijin, but I think it would be better off in the long run for Adrien to see you as you, rather than as a reformed Hawkmoth."

"Thank you, Nooroo." As Gabriel turned back to Madelaine, he realized her hand had migrated to the back of his neck. "I'm afraid you've come at a tumultuous time," he confessed. "And I know you don't believe you're Emilie, but having you around means the world to A-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Madelaine kissed him, putting her free hand on his shoulder and pulling him in. He sat there, stunned, though his hands did instinctively went to her waist when she straddled his lap.

Madelaine didn't waste a moment, pulling at his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. It felt so right to have her in his arms again, and every fiber of his being just wanted to hold on and never let go, but one little thing flashed back into his mind before he could get carried away.

"This is Adrien's room," he said quietly as he pulled away.

Madelaine sat back on his thighs. "Would you prefer we go to your room?" she asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "This… I want this, but it can't happen. Not tonight and not here. I need to… I need to do _something_ to fix this-" he gestured to the windows, still reminiscent of prison bars- "and my relationship with my son before I try to do anything with you. I'm sorry, Madelaine. I can't get his hopes up."

He picked her up and sat her back down on the sofa before standing up and walking towards the door. He stopped just short of the exit, turning back to face her. "Please don't tell Adrien about this."

Madelaine shook her head. "Our secret," she promised.

Gabriel walked out and headed back to his room, cognizant of Nooroo floating by his side. "That goes for you, too, Nooroo. Please."

"Waaaasn't planning on it," Nooroo drawled, their eyes looking a little wider than usual. "Where did that come from?"

"She's my wife, Nooroo," Gabriel sighed. "I love her, all of her, even Helena and Madelaine. Saying no to her… it's hard. And I can only pray she kissed me because she feels the same connection I do."

Nooroo nodded slowly. "I hope for your and Adrien's sake that you're right."

A sigh escaped Gabriel. "Me, too."

* * *

Gabriel tossed and turned in bed that night, his mind racing with a million things- almost all related to the damage he'd done and how he could begin to fix it. Every now and then his mind went to the bigger picture, but he quickly corrected himself each time. The first thing he had to do was fix his relationship with Adrien; Paris could wait to learn he was never going to send out another akuma again.

So what could he do to fix things before Adrien got home in the morning?

His mind kept on flashing back to the windows, the prison bar shadows they cast. Looking at them, thinking about them, made him nauseous.

Adrien, windows- Emilie, windows- fashion, windows. Every time, he circled back.

"Nooroo?"

Nooroo floated up to him, obviously not having fallen asleep themselves. "Still fixating on how to make amends?" they asked.

"No- well, yes, but also no." He let out a frustrated sigh and sat up on the side of the bed, putting his feet on the ground as he buried his face in his hands. "Those _goddamn windows_…" He picked up his brooch from the bedside table. "I'm sorry to do this so late at night, but Nooroo, wings rise."

Wordlessly, Nooroo zipped into the brooch, and Hawkmoth pinned it to his costume.

He stood up and walked to his son's room, opening the door and going straight for the windows. Without a second thought, he lifted his cane and smashed one of the windows.

One by one, he went down the length of the wall and shattered the windows, getting all his anger and frustration and sorrow and guilt out as he did. Only when his throat started to feel raw did he realize he was yelling as well.

"Nooroo, wings fall- ow!" He yanked the brooch off his bare skin and repinned it to the waist of his pants. "Okay, I deserved that." He said it more to himself than Nooroo.

Nooroo, for their part, stared down at the shattered glass on the ground outside the building, mouth agape. "You did that," they breathed. "You… really did… _that_."

Gabriel nodded, the gravity of his actions not quite sinking in yet. "Yeah," he sighed, "I did." He was panting, not from physical exertion, but from the rage he'd just unleashed. "I'm gonna go make a call."

"It's midnight!" Nooroo shouted as Gabriel turned and walked to the main hall, picking up the house phone and dialing a number, seemingly from memory.

He barely let the person on the other end of the line say hello before he spoke, "Hello, Gustav, it's Gabriel. You still have that window repair business, right?"

It took the man on the other end a moment to catch up. "_Gabriel_?" he asked. "_Gabriel Agreste_? From uni?"

"I'm willing to pay ten times your normal rate if you bring your guys and get this done before eight."

"Buddy, it's midnight-"

"Twenty times."

"Deal!"

With that, Gabriel hung up the phone. It seemed he was in for a long night.


	20. I'll Find a Way to Save You

**I'll Find a Way to Save You**

"I know this might sound odd, but do you by any chance have some camembert?" Chat Noir asked, a little sheepish. "Also a bathroom, but that's unrelated." Night had long since fallen and after Tom and Sabine went to bed (they had to get up early to open the bakery, after all), Marinette and Chat Noir retreated to her bedroom.

Marinette giggled and nodded. "Yeah," she confirmed. "Bathroom's downstairs and to the left; I'll check the kitchen."

They both headed down the stairs, and Chat Noir followed her directions to the bathroom. The second he closed the door, he muttered, "Plagg, claws in."

Plagg came zipping out of the ring and took a seat on the edge of the sink. "Are you gonna tell her?"

"_No_," Adrien said with a nervous laugh. "I can never tell her, especially now that she knows Hawkmoth is my dad. Even if he's better, she may still call the cops on him."

Plagg just sighed. "Oh ye of little faith. Your girlfriend will protect you, kid, just like she's doing now. She may deck Gabriel, but I doubt she'd call the cops on him."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend," he insisted. "She's just a really good friend who's there for me when I need her."

_Knock, knock_

"Um… Chat Noir?" Marinette's voice came through the door. "Are you okay? I thought I heard someone else in there."

Plagg grinned, a look on his face that could only be described as shit-eating. "That's my cue!"

Adrien's eyes went wide. "Wait, Plagg, no!"

It was too late. Plagg flew through the closed door, resulting in a quite yelp from Marinette on the other end. Their voices turned hushed, and Adrien went about his business. After washing his hands, he fished his phone out of his pocket to check for messages.

There was only one, a voicemail he'd refused to listen to since he saw it after transforming back a week ago. Part of him said to delete it; if it was anything Gabriel wanted to talk about, he would have already done so.

Curiosity won out.

Nearly everything in the message seemed to be strung together, the few pauses seeming forced and like nothing more than another part of a single sentence. "Adrien, it's your dad. _Please_ answer your phone, call me back, just let me know you're okay. If it's the Guardians, I'll- I'll find a way to save you I promise just please-" Gabriel hesitated, taking a shaky breath. "Please call me."

Slowly, Adrien lowered the phone from his ear and set it down on the counter. "Plagg!" His voice didn't sound right to his ears, wavering and sad.

"Yeah ki-" Plagg stopped at the sight of his charge. "Kid, what happened?"

"My dad, he uh… the other day, he tried calling. He was scared, Plagg, that the Guardians had taken me." He shook his head, looking down at the phone. "Why didn't he tell me?"

Plagg didn't say anything, but he rested a comforting paw on Adrien's shoulder.

"Thanks," he whispered. "Plagg, claws out."

Chat Noir disregarded the feel of magic washing over him, and he picked up his phone again as he opened the door.

Marinette saw him and frowned. "Chat Noir, what's wrong?" she asked. "Did- did your father call? What did he do to you? I swear when I find that man I'm gonna-"

"No!" Chat took a shaky breath. "I mean… yes, but no. It's not what you think." He swallowed hard. "Can we go back up to your room please?"

Marinette nodded mutely, and the two climbed back up the stairs and through the hatch to her room. Once they closed it behind them, Marinette sat him down on the chaise and joined him, taking his hands on her own. "Chat, what's wrong?" she asked again, much more softly this time.

Chat took a shaky breath and looked at the phone in his hand. He pulled up the voicemail and pushed the starting point past the first second so Marinette wouldn't hear his name.

"-it's your dad. _Please_ answer your phone, call me back, just let me know you're okay. If it's the Guardians, I'll- I'll find a way to save you I promise just please- Please call me."

The second time was more painful to listen to than the first. He heard all the cracks in Gabriel's voice, the absolute fear coursing through him. Even Marinette had tears in her eyes from listening, and a minute ago, she'd been ready to kill the man.

"This was from a week ago," Chat Noir explained. "After I was senshified and Ladybug and I fell asleep on a roof together." He swallowed hard, then looked past Marinette down at the ground, contemplating whether or not to tell her the truth.

Finally…

"Ladybug and I were given our miraculous by a man we call the Guardian. He was part of an ancient order, but all the others were allegedly killed before he could learn all their secrets. The real Guardians, the side he didn't know about… they were evil. They took kw- _people_ away from their families, killed children. Turns out they weren't all killed though, and they started working more from the shadows. Hawkmoth- _my dad_\- and I think they're all gone now for real, but if they're not… I'm number one on their hit list."

Marinette's eyes went wide, her jaw hanging open. "Oh kitty…" she sighed, pulling him into a hug. "I promise, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

Chat Noir melted into the hug, wrapping his arms around Marinette and purring. A thought occurred to him, and it abruptly stopped. He pulled out of the hug, fear in his eyes. "I shouldn't have told you that; you're in danger now, too."

"I can take care of myself just fine," Marinette promised. "I will always be here for you."

_Ring ring__… ring ring…_

They both jumped, eyes going expectantly to Chat Noir's phone, but it remained still and silent on the chaise lounge. Then, their eyes darted to Chat's baton.

Marinette cleared her throat nervously. "I uh… I don't think Ladybug would call you this late if it wasn't an akuma, and uh… well, we know those aren't gonna be around anymore…"

Chat Noir picked up the baton and looked at the screen. "It's my dad," he explained, and as Marinette's face didn't change, he knew he'd just confirmed her suspicions. He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, fa- er, Dad," he said. "I'm at a friend's right now, so no names."

Hawkmoth nodded in understanding. "I know you need your space, son, so I'm sorry to bother you, but I suspected you were transformed and wouldn't have access to your phone."

Chat Noir's eyes darted to the phone. Well, he was half right.

"I'll keep this quick and let you get back to your friend," Hawkmoth promised. "When you come home tomorrow, I'd like you to use the front doors please. I have a surprise for you that I think you'll enjoy."

"Oh. Um… okay." Chat really wasn't sure what to say.

"_Seriously_?"

Before Chat could stop her, Marinette jerked the baton out of his hands and glared into the screen with a fierceness he'd never seen from her.

"You seriously think you can buy your son's love back?" she snapped. "You complete and utter _tool_, when I get my hands on you, you're gonna need Ladybug's miraculous to undo all the damage!"

Chat yanked the baton back from her. "I-I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't think she would-"

"It's alright," Hawkmoth cut in, voice soft and gentle and clearly hurt. "And… I'm not trying to buy your love back. I just really think this will help, and I want it to be a surprise." He took in a deep breath and cleared his throat, looking away from the screen for a moment before returning his attention to it. "We will, however, have to have a talk about divulging certain information to civilians. This is… obviously a unique situation, but you do need to be careful."

"I am," he promised. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Hawkmoth gave him a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

Chat Noir couldn't quite get the response out, just hung up without another word. He turned to Marinette.

"I meant what I said," Marinette declared resolutely. "I know he's your father, but- but I had to, okay? What he did, that wasn't right, even if he was under a spell."

"I can count on one hand the people who have stood up to him as Hawkmoth or in his civilian form," Chat replied. "That was incredible, Marinette. And it means the world to me that you did it… Also, please never do that again if an actual supervillain pops up in the future."

A small smile curved its way onto Marinette's face. "No promises," she whispered. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, looking away from him. He saw a slight blush pass over her cheeks, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Let's get ready for bed, shall we?"

Chat nodded. "Yeah, sure," he agreed. "Um, can I have a blanket or something for the sofa?"

Marinette's brows furrowed together. "We can both fit in my bed, kitty," she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If that's okay with you?"

He gave a couple tries at forming a complete sentence, but nothing came out of his mouth. Finally he settled for a nod.

* * *

The next morning, Chat left with a confusing mix of excitement and fear. He wanted to know what his father had in store for him, but the past two years of instincts screamed at him that he was walking into a trap.

He bid the Dupain-Chengs farewell and rounded the corner before detransforming into Adrien, Plagg floating by his side. Thankfully, 7:30 on a Saturday yielded very little traffic, and no one noticed the tiny god next to the teenage boy.

Yeah, that would be fun to explain.

"So are you ready?" Plagg asked. He'd been one of the most supportive ones in his life throughout this entire mess, right from when Helena showed up.

"I think," Adrien replied. "I'm kind of nervous though, too. Pre-apathy-spell-Dad surprises were always great, but Hawkmoth surprises were always… _not_."

Plagg sighed, taking Adrien's words into consideration. "Look, kid, I know part of you is expecting a Hawkmoth surprise, but let me tell you: it isn't. Whatever it is, it's not that. I've seen the apathy spell in effect before, and it's a hell of a drug. I wouldn't even say it turns people into the worst versions of themselves, because they're not. They really _aren__'t_ themselves. And I know it'll take some time for you to accept that internally, but please, at least remind yourself of it when you start thinking your father's going to jump back into villainy."

Adrien nodded. "Okay," he promised, "I will." After a brief lull in the conversation, he spoke again. "So does this make you my uncle?"

Plagg just laughed at that, and Adrien actually had to stop to let him recollect himself. "Unfortunately, kid, I think it does. The camembert is in your veins."

That got Adrien to laugh along, too. "Uncle Plagg," he managed to say between giggle fits.

"Never-" _snort_\- "never call me that again."

Adrien nodded and continued walking, but now he had a bright smile on his face, all the way up until he got to the gates of the mansion and saw a truck in the courtyard. His heart caught in his chest at the sight.

Were they more Guardians? Were they going to take Madelaine? His dad? What were they-

Some of his fears were alleviated when he saw Gabriel walk out of the house in sleep clothes, just a t-shirt and a pair of lounge pants (which he also noticed had the disguised form of the butterfly brooch pinned on the waistband). The second Gabriel saw him, his face lit up, and he walked over to the gate, opening it for him.

"Hello, Adrien," he said. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to be home for another half hour."

Adrien looked around at the scene, still trying to piece it all together. "What's going on?" he asked. "Who are these people?"

"They were here making some… adjustments," Gabriel explained. "It will be much easier to explain once you're inside."

"Okay…" Adrien walked in, admittedly stunned when he saw his father get alone with the contractors and actually _thank them_ for all they did. Only once they were inside and the door shut did the thought occur to him. "Were they here overnight?"

Gabriel nodded. "Rest assured, they were well-compensated for their time," he replied. "The owner is an old friend and was willing to bend the rules for me." He took a deep breath, and Adrien saw the change in his stance. Gone was the confident businessman working to get his home improved, replaced by… _Gabriel_, a father who was terrified of hurting his son. That alone made Adrien feel a little better, if not a tad guilty.

"Are you ready to see your room?"

"Sure…" Hey, just because he felt better didn't mean he wasn't still confused. He climbed the stairs and turned to go down the hall to his room, but Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Not… not that way." He gently guided Adrien in the opposite direction and around the corner.

As they walked, Adrien could feel something was different; he just couldn't say exactly what that was. He looked around, trying to figure out what it was, but nothing stuck out. It was like the world's worst game of spot the differences.

"Right here," Gabriel said, stopping in front of a door that most certainly _was not_ Adrien's.

Adrien cast him a confused glance, but he opened the door anyway. It looked like… like his room. Like _his room_, not some caricature of what a teenage boy was supposed to want. The basketball hoop and skateboard ramp were missing along with a few other things, but his manga and anime collection was on proud display in a bookcase.

The thing that really caught his eye, though, were the windows. Gone were the frames that made him feel like he was in a cage, replaced by simple sheets of glass so well put together he couldn't tell where one ended and the next began. Everything else fell to the background for him; the windows were the sole focus of his thoughts.

"Each panel will slide open so you can leave when you need to, and there's a hatch to the roof as well." Gabriel's voice just barely reached him, but it was enough to pull him out of his reverie. "This room faces north, rather than east, so you don't have to worry about the sun waking you up."

Slowly, Adrien turned back around, seeing his father standing just inside the doorway. Any thoughts of him as Hawkmoth, as the man who had made his life hell for the past two years, were banished in that moment. Without thinking, he ran up to his father and wrapped him in a hug, sobbing into his chest.


	21. Weird Flex, But Okay

**Weird Flex, but Okay**

They spent almost the whole day in Adrien's room, either playing video games or watching movies. And each time Adrien asked if he had any business stuff to take care of, Gabriel was sure to remind him that _he_ was priority number one in the gentlest way possible. It was possible he was bordering on babying his son, but that's what he was and always would be: his baby.

Even if he did dress up in a leather cat suit half the time.

Notably, Adrien's eyes didn't flash blue even once the whole day, something Gabriel hadn't expected after Emilie's return as Helena. Like magic latched onto itself, like two drops of water next to each other on a plate, and the proximity was bound to cause both him and Madelaine to have more frequent visions of the past and future. He just hoped it wouldn't interfere in his son's life.

Adrien had fallen asleep nearly half an hour ago in the middle of a movie, snoring softly with his head on Gabriel's chest. He glanced over to Plagg and Nooroo, completely engrossed in their game of Go Fish (Nooroo was winning and Plagg was _not _happy about it).

A knock on the door made Gabriel wince. He knew it was too good to last.

"Dinner is ready, sir," Nathalie said.

Gabriel turned to look over his shoulder at her and gave her a nod. Then, he looked to his son and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey," he said softly. "It's dinner time."

Adrien hummed in confusion as he woke up, looking around the room. The new space would take some getting used to, but Gabriel could tell he preferred it to his old room. "What's happening?" Adrien asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"You ended up taking a little nap," Gabriel explained. "Dinner's ready."

"Mm-hm," Adrien nodded, still a little out of it. He stood up and wobbled on his feet a bit before grabbing Gabriel's shoulder to right himself.

And there it was. The blue flash.

Gabriel sat Adrien back down, waiting for him to come out of it. He blinked, shaking his head, obviously disoriented. "What was it?" Gabriel asked.

"I saw…" Adrien's eyebrows furrowed together, like he was still trying to make sense of it. "I saw Ladybug, but she was Chat Noir, and I was Ladybug. We were about to give each other our miraculous back, but… neither of us had to turn away from each other. I think we knew. But what would make us switch in the first place?"

Gabriel sighed and rubbed his son's shoulder. "I'm sure you two were just goofing around," he declared. That was a lie; he'd fought them both enough to know they wouldn't dare swap unless it was a necessity. "Do you still want dinner?"

A small smile lit up Adrien's face, and he nodded, taking the bait for Gabriel's distraction.

The two walked downstairs and into the dining room (Plagg and Nooroo elected to stay behind and finish their game), and instead of his usual seat at the opposite end of the table, Gabriel picked up his plate and set it down beside Adrien's.

For a moment, Adrien stood there, stunned, and Gabriel gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Adrien cleared his throat nervously and sat down, digging into his meal.

"There's more food than normal," he mentioned, looking his plate over.

Gabriel nodded. "Running around as Chat Noir, you burn more calories," he explained. "It stands to reason you should get more food because of it."

Adrien slowly looked from his father to his plate again, then dug in. "Thanks, Dad," he said between bites. His eyes darted to the door for a second. "Speaking of Chat Noir, is our new guest going to be joining us for dinner?"

"No," Gabriel sighed. "Madelaine said she'd like to spend a day getting to know the city since she'll be living here. I know you probably wanted to eat dinner with her, but-"

"It's fine," Adrien cut in. "Just… wondering." He reached out for the salt shaker, but before he could touch it, he froze, eyes turning blue and glassy.

A frown spread across Gabriel's face. No visions all day, then two in twenty minutes? That didn't feel right.

Adrien took a sharp breath in and grabbed the saltshaker, eyes returning to normal.

"Are you okay?"

Adrien nodded his head, refusing to look up at his father. "Yeah," he replied. "Just… another weird one. Chat Noir giving a speech or something alone." He shrugged his shoulders. "Ladybug must be running late that day."

Gabriel pursed his lips, a million thoughts running through his head. Finally, he took a deep breath and set his silverware down, then put a hand on one of Adrien's. "Do you know why your mother and I home schooled you?"

"The Guardians?" Adrien asked. "You didn't want them to know about me, so I had to be mostly a secret."

"That, and… and the visions." Gabriel shook his head. "It seems like their timing is completely arbitrary, Adrien, and we were concerned someone would take notice. The eye change is… hard to miss. It will be your choice and your choice alone, but I'd like you to consider returning to that."

"No." There was no explanation, no attempts at making Gabriel see his point, just "no." It was hard to blame him.

Again, Gabriel sighed. "I understand your concerns, but we do need to address this," he added in. "If your visions come at random-"

"They come in clusters, okay?" Adrien huffed in frustration. "I'll go half the day or all day without one, and then it's two or three within an hour. If I have one, I can go to the nurse's office and say I have a migraine before the next one hits."

"Alright," Gabriel replied with a nod.

Adrien finally jerked to look up at him. "Alright?" he parroted.

"Alright," Gabriel repeated. "I'd also like you to work on meditation to try to control your visions, but as I said, it's ultimately your choice. I've deprived you of your free will and a father who cares about what you want for too long; I don't intend to continue it."

A long pause passed, Adrien just staring at him in shock- obviously, he was still getting used to the new normal. Finally, he said, "I wanna wash the dishes together."

Gabriel's eyebrows furrowed together. Where the hell had that come from? _Be cool_, he reminded himself. _Go with the flow_. "Weird flex, but okay."

Adrien looked like Gabriel had dropped an ACME anvil on his head.

"Did I use that correctly?" During the few moments of free time he'd had overnight, he looked up some teen slang in an attempt to connect; it obviously wasn't working.

Then, a miracle happened. Adrien _laughed_. Maybe it was the right thing to say after all. "Yeah," he said through his giggles. "Yeah, it was actually pretty good."

* * *

They finished up their dinner, Gabriel asking Adrien about school and Adrien asking him about work, then finally made their way to the kitchen. For a moment, Gabriel stood in front of the sink, a thought occurring to him.

"You've never washed dishes before."

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, that's… part of why I wanted to do this," he explained. "When I went to Marinette's house, her parents talked about how they had to wash the dishes after dinner, and it kind of just… hit me. That I didn't know how."

Gabriel gave a single nod in response. "Well, then, we're just going to have to fix that." He set his plate down and turned the water on to start running. "First, you need to get the water hot. If you don't, you're just going to be scrubbing for hours. Then, you need to throw away any scraps on your plate. Some sinks have disposals that can take a bit of food being thrown down them, but not all, and even then, they can't handle things like bones."

Adrien remained silent as his father spoke, watching attentively and hanging on his every word. It was nice, if not a bit odd, Gabriel thought. He hoped there would be more moments like this in their future, and he had a sneaking suspicion Adrien felt the same.

"When it comes to actually getting things clean, you need to get some soap on a sponge or scrubby and just go at it. The only major exception is on nonstick cookware, you don't want to use anything abrasive because it could take off the coating." Gabriel held up a scrubby to illustrate.

Again, Adrien remained fixated. "What about a brush? Can I use a brush?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, you can- wait. You don't mean a hair brush, do you?"

"Do you need a different one for dishes?"

It took him a moment to process, to accept that this was really happening, before he responded. "Yes…" he replied slowly. "There are special brushes for dishes, and you don't want to brush your hair with the one you use for the dishes or vice versa."

Adrien blinked at him a couple of times, then the light bulb lit up. "Oh my God, you don't actually think I'd use one that's been used, do you?" he asked with a laugh. "I just wanted to know if, like, the bristles were different or something."

Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he whispered, hoping he was unheard by his giggling son.

"What's got you laughing like a hyena?"

They both turned to the door to see Madelaine walk in, a confused look on her face.

Adrien blushed. "I'm not laughing like a _hyena_…" he grumbled. "Dad's just teaching me to wash dishes."

Madelaine scoffed and approached, inspecting their work. "Couple of rich boys like you doing dishes? I don't believe it."

"I grew up middle class," Gabriel replied. "And Adrien should know how to wash dishes."

"He should also know how to do it without wasting all that water." Madelaine jerked her head to the faucet. "You've gotta stop the drain and pour some soap in first." She reached over, doing exactly what she'd said.

Gabriel glanced at Adrien to see a small smile on his face, and he could imagine why. He turned his attention back to their guest. "That you for helping us, Madelaine," he said. "We both really appreciate it."

Madelaine cast a quick glance at him, her smile looking _just like _Adrien's. "Well you obviously need it," she replied, but there was no bite in her voice. "But don't think this means I'm your maid. You've gotta do your share of the work, too."

"Of course." The trio washed the dishes, mostly in silence, and Gabriel found himself just enjoying their presence. It had been so long since they'd been together as a family, even if Madelaine was still under the impression that she wasn't Emilie.

As he readied himself for bed, he couldn't stop thinking about it, about ways he could spend time with his wife and son more. Maybe next weekend, they could all go to the park together- yes, that sounded good.

Nooroo flew up to them, a smile on their face. "Did you enjoy your bonding time?" they asked.

"I did," Gabriel replied with a chuckle. "I was actually just thinking of ways we can spend time together next weekend as well."

"Ooo, maybe you can go to that bakery where Adrien's friend lives!" they cheered in response. "And, of course, you can pick up some chocolate croissants for me while you're there…"

Gabriel snorted, a bright smile coming to him. "You know, all you had to do was ask," he declared. He laughed and shook his head. "Goodnight, Nooroo. I'll see you in the morning."

Nooroo nodded and smiled back. "I'll see you in the morning, Gabriel."


	22. It's Not Him

Note: this was written prior to the majority of season 3 airing, so aside from the events of Heroes' Day, no akuma victims have been akumatized more than once.

* * *

**It's Not Him**

Adrien was ready for a day of fun. He needed it and, by God, he _deserved it_. After the past couple of weeks, he'd more than earned it. So at nine o'clock, when Nathalie told him his friends were waiting for him, he rocketed out of his new room and down the stairs.

Chloé, surprisingly enough, was the first to pick up on the fact that something had changed. "New room?" she asked.

When the other three cast a strange look her way, she gave them a shrug. "What? His room's on the other side of the building, and it's not like he does much in the house outside of his room, so… new room."

"She's actually right," Adrien confirmed. "I told my dad I felt trapped in my room, so he changed out all the windows and got me a new room."

If Alya, Marinette, and Chloé looked surprised, Nino could only be described as _astonished_. "He did that?" he asked. "Like, you said what the problem was, and he _listened_?"

Adrien nodded.

"Dude! This is incredible!"

"And you're calling him your dad?" Alya asked. "Not your father? What happened?"

A little laugh escaped Adrien, and he shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied.

One of the hallway doors opened, and Madelaine walked out, phone to her ear. "Yes, the reservation will be under the name Madelaine Foy," she declared. "Thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at the scene before her. "Are these your friends, Adrien?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Madelaine, these are Chloé, Nino, Alya, and Marinette. Guys, this is Madelaine."

He certainly didn't miss the weird looks he got at that.

Madelaine smiled, oblivious, and gave them all a wave. "Well, it's nice to meet all of you. Adrien and his father have been so kind letting me stay here until I find a place for myself."

"And it's been lovely having you here."

Adrien spun to see his father at the top of the steps. Gabriel walked down, his hand coming to rest on Madelaine's arm once she was in range. "You're welcome here as long as you want."

"Thank you," Madelaine replied. She glanced back to Adrien and his friends, eyes landing on something. "Oh, Marinette, you've got a tag sticking out." She reached over and turned the tag back inside her shirt. "There. All better. You kids have fun today, alright?"

Adrien grinned. "Thanks Mom- I mean, Madelaine. Sorry."

Madelaine gave him a little nod, as if to say 'it's okay' before the quintet turned to leave.

The second the door shut, he was bombarded by questions.

"What was that about?"

"What happened to Helena?"

"Why was your dad so chill?"

"She was actually cool with you calling her mom?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Adrien held up his hands as a defense. "One at a time, and it's… really freaking complicated." He sighed, his head falling back. He trusted his friends to keep him from walking into traffic.

He took in a deep breath, trying to come up with an answer without taking too long. He rolled his head forward again. "So… my mom found out about a magical terrorist organization a couple years ago, and when she tried to turn them in to the police, they kidnapped her and used magic to replace her memories with a woman named Helena's."

"So Helena was your mom," Chloé said. "Ha! I knew it!"

Adrien chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, she was. But then _Helena_ started getting too close, and they tried to kidnap her. That's what got Chat Noir involved in that car chase the other week. He kind of… bodyguarded her after that, but the terrorists got her again before he could stop them, which made him get senshified into Chat Blanc. Apparently Hawkmoth had a beef with them, too, so he was willing to work with Chat to stop them, and they did, but not before Helena's memories were replaced with Madelaine's."

Alya put out an arm to stop everyone. "Okay, is anyone else getting a massive headache trying to keep up?" she asked. "Why don't you just tell her she's your mom?"

"We tried," Adrien sighed. "She won't believe us, and Chat Noir and Hawkmoth said it's better to show her than to tell her. It's a process. But at least Hawkmoth isn't a supervillain anymore!"

_Crash!_

"An akuma!"

"You sure about that?" Nino asked.

"I gotta go make a phone call," Adrien declared before he took off running. He rounded the corner and slid to a stop, opening his shirt for Plagg.

He flew out, hovering in front of Adrien expectantly. "You okay, kid?"

Adrien nodded a tiny bit. "Yeah," he sighed. "But I thought… he said he was done, right? So it can't be him!"

"I'm sure it isn't," Plagg replied, but even as convinced as he sounded, Adrien couldn't believe him. Not 100%. Not yet.

"Right," Adrien sighed. "Plagg, claws out!"

The second his transformation was done, Chat Noir jumped up onto the roof and looked around for any sign of the akuma. Seconds later, Ladybug landed by his side.

"You okay, kitty?"

Chat Noir turned and blinked. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. "Just another akuma, nothing out of the ordinary here."

She looked him over, then put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you thought your dad was going to stop…"

He never told her Hawkmoth was his dad. In fact, the only person who knew was… "Marinette?" He watched her tense up. "She told you about my dad? How could she?"

Ladybug relaxed, and she sighed. "I'm sorry, kitty, I kind of begged her after I saw you leaving her house," she explained. "But… are you okay to do this?"

"It's not him," Chat Noir declared. "It can't be, really. It's gotta be someone else."

She gave him a nod, but it was clear she didn't believe him. "Okay," she said. "I'm with you, remember? We're partners."

Chat Noir took in a deep breath. "Right. We should, uh, we should probably figure out where the akuma is. What they can do."

"Right." She gave his shoulder a squeeze, then turned to survey the city.

Their answer came in the form of a flock of pigeons dive-bombing them, knocking them both off their feet and nearly throwing them off the roof. Instinctively, Chat Noir covered Ladybug, defending her from the birds; the fight could still be won without Chat Noir, but if she was gone, no one would be able to undo the damage.

Once the birds passed, the duo looked up to see them flying around a familiar akuma.

"M. Pigeon? Again?" Ladybug asked. "He's never- I mean- we've never seen a repeat before other than on Heroes' Day."

Chat Noir let out a small, nervous laugh. "Thanks for trying to spare my feelings."

Ladybug shrugged and gave him a half-smile. "Least I could do," she replied.

The two jumped over to the next roof, getting in front of M. Pigeon. "Stand down," Ladybug ordered. "Whatever happened, we can find another way to work through this."

M. Pigeon smiled in a sickly way, darker than anything they'd seen the first time he'd been akumatized. "You're not winning today," he declared. He cooed like the birds he so loved, and they flocked toward Ladybug and Chat Noir, knocking them off the roof and down to the ground.

Chat moaned in pain and pushed himself up, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see through the flood of gray. His hand went to his baton, and he began to spin it, forming a sort of shield in front of himself and Ladybug. She got up as well and wrapped an arm around him, then cast her yo-yo out in front of her.

Suddenly, Chat was yanked off his feet and through the fray of birds, landing on a roof.

"Achoo!"

Chat groaned. "Seriously?" he grumbled. "I'm still allergic after-" He shook his head. This was no time to focus on the fact that he was still somehow allergic to pigeon feathers when his mom was the damn peacock kwami- though he'd probably make a joke about it later.

"C'mon!" Ladybug yelled, and the two took off running, trying to escape the pigeons.

"Got any ideas?" he asked.

Ladybug checked over her shoulder. "A few!" she called back. "Follow my lead!"

When they got to the edge of the roof, she didn't jump to the next one, instead dropping down and running inside. He followed her lead, but the birds took a moment to redirect and go through the building. They came out the other side, and without breaking her stride, Ladybug called for her lucky charm.

A whistle fell into her hand, and she didn't hesitate in blowing through it.

The duo came to a halt in front of M. Pigeon, and Ladybug blew through the whistle again.

"Nice try," M. Pigeon declared. "Those pigeons will only follow my lead."

Ladybug smirked and waved the whistle. "This isn't for pigeons."

As if on cue, a hawk swooped down at M. Pigeon, and Chat Noir took the chance to run at him and kick his legs out from under him. Ladybug grabbed the pigeon whistle as he fell and crushed it in her hand. Chat took the few steps towards his lady, inspecting the whistle. It was definitely the akumatized item, but no butterfly flew from it.

Chat let out a sigh of relief, the stress dropping from his shoulders as he turned back around to M. Ramier as he transformed back. He walked up to the deakumatized victim, his thoughts still lost in a flurry of confusion and emotion. It wasn't his father, it couldn't have been… right?

_Right_, he told himself. He promised not to, and the fact that there wasn't a butterfly when Ladybug broke the whistle confirmed it.

"M. Ramier?" Chat asked, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Slowly, the man looked up, more disoriented than he had been the first time he was akumatized. "Wha- where am-" He cut himself off with a coughing fit so strong he fell back on his hands and knees. Chat dropped down to help him; that's when he saw it.

Eyes wide, Chat Noir turned to Ladybug. "Call an ambulance," he ordered. "He's coughing up blood."

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! Been a while since I've done a note, but I thought this was important. First, thank you all for your reviews; they really brighten my day amid all this crap in the world. I hope you're all doing well and social distancing as much as possible, keeping safe and healthy. Now, as you might have noticed from the last line, this fic is about to get a little bit real. Chapters 23, 24, and 25 all involve a mysterious SARS-like virus that spreads at a rapid rate, though contained within Paris. I wrote this storyline nearly a year ago, well before covid 19 was even a thing, and there are too many necessary plot points I hit with it to rewrite or scrap it. Please be advised when reading the next few updates. Thank you.


	23. The Asshole Who Thought It Was Okay

Warning: Chapters 23, 24, and 25 all involve a mysterious SARS-like virus that spreads at a rapid rate, though contained within Paris. There are descriptions of both symptoms and a few medical procedures done to save the victims, none of which are presumed to be medically accurate. I wrote this storyline nearly a year ago, well before covid 19 was even a thing, and there are too many necessary plot points I hit with it to rewrite or scrap it. Please be advised when reading the next few updates. Thank you.

* * *

**The Asshole Who Thought it was Okay to Akumatize a Baby**

"This just in: M. Pigeon has been deakumatized by Ladybug, but in a departure from usual procedure, the victim has been sent to the hospital for reasons unknown. Ladybug and Chat Noir have not yet commented on the situation."

Gabriel jerked his head up from his work, eyes focusing on the tv screen on the wall. He sometimes kept the news on as background noise while he worked, but this was the first he heard about this. "Nooroo?" he asked softly.

"I'm seeing this, too," they confirmed, eyes glued to the screen. "That's not possible. You're not even transformed."

"Well I'm about to be," Gabriel replied. "I have to tell Adrien I didn't do this and to be on the lookout for whoever did."

Nooroo turned, shooting him a sympathetic look. "He knows it's not you."

"He's also terrified the apathy spell will be recast on me," Gabriel refuted. "I can't frown without feeling his worry. I have to call him. Nooroo, wings rise!"

He transformed into Hawkmoth and turned to the painting he had of Emilie, entering the code to go up to his lair. Once there, he held up his cane and called Chat Noir.

He answered without even a full ring passing.

"Please tell me this is not what it looks like," Chat Noir begged.

"It's not," Hawkmoth promised. "I'll meet you both on the top deck of the Eiffel Tower to discuss in ten minutes."

Chat Noir nodded. "I'll see you there."

Hawkmoth hung up the phone and headed towards the window, but the sound of a new arrival to the lair stopped him.

"Sir, might I ask why you thought it was a good idea to reakumatize M. Ramier?" Nathalie asked. She held up her tablet with a photo of M. Pigeon on it, likely one from that day's attack rather than the original one.

"I didn't," Hawkmoth replied. "Akumatize him, that is. I'm about to meet with Ladybug and Chat Noir to discuss who could have done this."

Nathalie nodded, but Hawkmoth could tell she had something else to say. He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Are you sure it's the best idea to go out and risk being seen?" she asked. "After Heroes' Day, the citizens of Paris made it pretty clear they'd be willing to fight you personally. And when Carapace hit you with his shield, I'll admit I was a bit worried he might have shaken something loose."

A dry laugh escaped Hawkmoth. "Yes, that was rather-" His wry smile faded to a frown. "What do you mean 'shaken something loose?'"

Nathalie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "It could have caused brain damage…"

"Or reinstated my common sense," he replied. "Shaken the apathy spell loose. Is that what you meant?"

"Sir, it seems that apathy spell has been replaced with a paranoia spell-"

"Has it?" Hawkmoth demanded. "You've been pretty interested in Madelaine's memories. And before that in keeping Helena away from me. You vanished right before her kidnapping, and you were always willing to help me, a goddamn supervillain." Another thing occurred to him. "I never told you the peacock's transformation phrase or the phrase to use its power, and without Emilie attached to tell you how to do it… how did you know, Nathalie? How did you know any of it? That a miraculous without a kwami copies whichever it's been closest to recently?"

Nathalie's mask faltered, a hint of fear appearing on her face for a brief moment before being replaced by neutrality. Hawkmoth didn't need to see it, though; he could feel it. "You did tell me, sir, or are you forgetting?"

"I can feel when someone's lying to me!" he snapped. He shook his head, mind racing. "Get out of my home. If I ever see you around here- around _Adrien_\- again, I will kill you without a second thought."

"I'm the only reason Adrien's alive!" Nathalie yelled back. "When the Guardians found out about Emilie, who do you think was the one who kept information about him a secret, huh? I could have told them about him, about his powers, but I didn't. In fact, I told them he was your bastard, no relation to Emilie. Imagine if I had told them the truth."

"OUT!"

Hawkmoth turned, refusing to listen to another word she said. He leaped out of the window, taking the rooftops across the city to the Eiffel Tower.

He jumped up onto the top deck, noticing that he was the first one there. A sigh escaped him, and he sat down, mind still racing; the millions of emotions he felt in the streets below didn't help either. One of the many reasons the butterfly worked best from afar was that it kept him from feeling others' emotions too strongly and allowed him to focus on his champion, whoever they may be.

Suddenly, he felt a stronger, closer set of emotions. _Fear, anxiety, sadness, worry, anger_-

"I know you're there," Hawkmoth said without turning around. He set down his cane and rolled it behind him, only to hear it stop short of the other end of the deck.

A black-gloved hand came into his peripheral vision, offering the cane back.

Hawkmoth accepted it and slowly stood up, turning around to face the heroes as he did. "I didn't do it," he promised, his gaze focused solely on Chat Noir. His eyes darted from Chat to Ladybug. "Did he tell you-"

"I figured it out," Ladybug cut in. "That is the _only_ reason I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt." Chat Noir nudged her, and she let out a defeated sigh. "And Volpina showed up while you were here waiting for us."

Hawkmoth nodded. "I don't blame you," he sighed. "What I did was… unforgivable, especially when you don't know the full story behind why." Surprisingly, Ladybug didn't try to interrupt him with a speech about how the ends didn't justify the means. "I don't know of any way to prove it to you, but this wasn't me." He looked to Chat Noir again. "Please, son, I know believing me isn't easy right now, but if you just have a little faith in me, I'll find a way to show you, to find out who did this and stop them."

"I believe you, Dad," Chat Noir replied simply. "It's not a question of whether or not I believe you. But we need to find out who did this and how to stop them before M. Ramier and Lila get any sicker."

"Wait, _sicker_?" Hawkmoth asked. "They were ill before they were akumatized?"

Ladybug shrugged her shoulders. "We don't know," she confessed. "They're both coughing up blood and have a rash running up their necks. An ambulance took them to the ER."

Hawkmoth shook his head. "Akumatization doesn't cause illness, and akumas who are already ill make horrible champions," he declared. "Whoever's doing this is either completely uneducated in how to make akumas or-"

"They're adding in the illness themselves somehow," Ladybug finished. "If word gets out that reakumatized victims are getting sick, there's going to be mass panic from Heroes' Day victims."

"It's already out," Hawkmoth replied. "I heard about the akuma on the news, and I didn't really think much of it at the time, but they said M. Ramier was taken to the hospital."

Ladybug muttered a curse under her breath, then straightened her back. "Alright, this could get ugly fast. If this person sends out another akuma next week or something-"

An explosion shook the tower, and the three turned their heads to see an explosion in the east.

"Or today," Ladybug sighed, defeated. "They could send out another akuma today."

Hawkmoth sighed. "Alright, the best way to fight an akuma is with a senshi or a seijin-"

"No!" Ladybug and Chat Noir both blurted out at once.

"If you send out someone to stop this, who's to say the person doing this won't somehow take control of them, too?" Chat Noir asked.

Hawkmoth winced, the realization settling in. "Right," he breathed. "Hand-to-hand for me it is, then." He cleared his throat and looked from the explosion site to the duo once more. "Ladybug, may I please have a moment with my son? I need to tell him something important, something that could potentially lead to you discovering our identities."

Ladybug nodded in understanding. "Just don't take too long." She jumped down, using her yo-yo to slow her descent, and Hawkmoth turned back to Chat Noir.

"What is it?" Chat asked, looking him over warily. "Is it mom?"

"No… no," Hawkmoth said. He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up again. "It's Nathalie. She's a Guardian."

Chat Noir's jaw dropped. "What?" he asked. "That- she was- she's how they knew about Mom, how they tracked her down, isn't she? She's the reason they were able to take her!" The panic rose in him, hitting Hawkmoth like a train.

He nodded. "And I'm so sorry to tell you this now, with everything else going on, but I'm worried she may try to approach you if I don't, and I don't know what she'll do if she has you alone."

Chat Noir took a deep breath, tears in his eyes. "I-I understand." He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "Let's go help LB."

He jumped over the railing, and Hawkmoth watched as he took off across the city. After a moment, he followed his son.

* * *

It took Hawkmoth a moment to realize who he was fighting. Rogercop seemed to have an upgrade, and instead of just handcuffing people, he also had a taser, one he was happy to use on civilians. Chat Noir had already been sidetracked giving CPR to someone with a heart problem who had been hit.

Ladybug was doing a fair job holding her own until she had to block a pair of handcuffs coming her way, opening her to an attack with the taser.

Hawkmoth threw his sword a second too late, and Ladybug was forced to endure the seizing caused by the electrical current before the sword hit Rogercop's hand. Without hesitating, Hawkmoth ran up to Ladybug and caught her when she fell, yanking the prongs out of her chest as he did.

"Are you okay?"

Ladybug nodded but cringed even at the simple action. "Where's Chat?" she asked.

Hawkmoth turned his head to see Chat getting the civilian he'd been helping earlier to safety. The elderly man was notably walking, and Hawkmoth let out a sigh of relief. "He's fine, and so is the civilian," he replied. "C'mon, up!" He pulled Ladybug's arm around his shoulders and helped her stand back up, even as she cried out in pain. He looked to Chat Noir and jerked his head to a nearby roof.

Chat nodded, and they both leaped up, making it to some semblance of safety behind a chimney.

"Okay, so whoever this is, they're adding character mods to akumas now, too," Chat said breathlessly. "We need to end this, but what if he's sick when he comes out of it?"

"Then we take him to the hospital, too," Ladybug grit out, still recovering from the taser. She shifted, propping herself up against the chimney. "Lucky charm!" A duplicate of her suit came down. "Really?"

Hawkmoth reached out, rubbing the material between his fingers. Even with the gloves, he could tell what it was made of. "It's rubber, and probably thick enough to stop the prongs," he said. "If you wear it, you'll be immune to the taser."

Ladybug nodded. "Go, distract him, I'll be there in a second." She straightened her back and winced, and Hawkmoth shot her a sympathetic look.

"Don't give me that," she grit out. "I don't need my partner's father trying to parent me right now; I need the asshole who thought it was okay to akumatize a baby."

That stung, he had to admit, but she was right. He turned and went with Chat Noir back down to the street, holding off Rogercop as best they could. His sword was lost in the fray, making it that much harder to defend himself and his son, and within three minutes, he was almost on the receiving end of a taser.

Just as Rogercop fired, Ladybug jumped down in front of him, taking the hit without issue and ripping the whistle off his neck.

Somehow, Hawkmoth both expected and was surprised not to see a butterfly come out of the whistle, but Rogercop returned to Officer Raincomprix all the same.

"Go," Hawkmoth ordered. "You've probably only got a minute left."

Ladybug nodded and left, and Hawkmoth walked up to Officer Raincomprix. "Officer-"

"OH FUCK!"

Hawkmoth winced. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"The hell I-" Officer Raincomprix cut himself off with a coughing fit, turning his head away from Hawkmoth.

Chat Noir ran up, concern on his face. "Him, too?"

"I'll call for an ambulance; you try to calm him down," Hawkmoth ordered. "I'm getting nowhere." In the back of his mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Ladybug said _can__'t imagine why_.

Upon retrieving his sword, Hawkmoth pulled up the phone function and dialed 1-1-2. "Hello, there's another akuma victim with a rash and coughing up blood," he said.

"Alright, may I have your name and address?" the operator asked.

"128 Rue Germain," Hawkmoth replied. "The victim is Officer Roger Raincomprix."

"And your name, sir?"

"Not important." Hawkmoth hung up the phone before the woman could probe him any further and returned to his son as he tried to help Officer Raincomprix.

Chat Noir looked up to him, panic in his eyes. "He's choking on the blood," he declared.

"Go into the nearest restaurant," he ordered. "Get a straw, a paring knife, a ballpoint pen, and a bottle of the strongest proof alcohol they have."

For a moment, Chat Noir looked confused, but he didn't say anything. He just took off running.

Hawkmoth took a deep breath, his mind racing even as he began to talk. "Officer Raincomprix, I know it's hard, especially with me being here, but I need you to calm down," he said, keeping his voice even and smooth. "The more you panic, the more danger you are in. We're going to get you to the hospital."

That didn't work. Officer Raincomprix continued hyperventilating, and within seconds, he was unconscious.

"I'm back!"

Hawkmoth breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you get everything?" he asked.

Chat Noir nodded and started passing things off. Hawkmoth took the ballpoint pen and unscrewed it, removing the tube surrounding the ink cartridge. He abandoned the rest of it in favor of the knife and straw, and he poured the alcohol Chat Noir had brought over the three of them.

Hawkmoth felt at Officer Raincomprix's throat, then nodded slightly to himself. He took the knife and made a small incision, inserting the straw and tube next to each other. Leaving the tube in, he pressed his finger to the end of the straw and slowly pulled it out, removing a good amount of blood as he did. He reinserted it and repeated the process.

Chat Noir's eyes were wide as saucers as he watched his father. "Oh… my… god."

"We don't have suction, so this is the best I can do," Hawkmoth explained. He glanced up at the sound of sirens and watched as an ambulance rolled up. "Finally."

When a minute passed and no one came to help, Hawkmoth looked up again. The EMTs all stood at their truck, refusing to move. Because of him.

He took a deep breath and looked to Chat. "I need you to take over this for me," he declared. Chat opened his mouth to object, but Hawkmoth didn't give him the chance. "The EMTs aren't going to come with me here, okay, and they are this man's best chance. You've been watching me do this, and I have no doubt you can do it until they're able to take over. When they try, tell them he's aspirating blood, and you made an emergency tracheostomy that needs suction."

Chat Noir nodded, eyes wide, and he slowly reached out. The first time, Hawkmoth kept his hands on the tube and straw to make sure Chat confident enough in what he was doing, but the second the straw was back in, he was off, giving the EMTs some space.


	24. Some MacGyver Nonsense

Warning: Chapters 23, 24, and 25 all involve a mysterious SARS-like virus that spreads at a rapid rate, though contained within Paris. There are descriptions of both symptoms and a few medical procedures done to save the victims, none of which are presumed to be medically accurate. I wrote this storyline nearly a year ago, well before covid 19 was even a thing, and there are too many necessary plot points I hit with it to rewrite or scrap it. Please be advised when reading the next few updates. Thank you.

* * *

**Some MacGyver Nonsense**

Chat Noir could not believe what had just happened. Hawkmoth- his _dad_\- knew how to do… _that_. The second Officer Raincomprix was in the ambulance, he took to the roofs, searching for his father.

"Are you okay?"

Chat gasped and turned to see Hawkmoth step out from his hiding spot behind a chimney.

"I'm sorry I had to do that to you, but the EMTs weren't going to take another step forward with me in sight."

"How did you _do that_?" Chat Noir asked. "That was, like, some MacGyver nonsense right there."

Hawkmoth glanced down at his hands, covered in blood, and took a deep breath. "Let's go home," he sighed. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Were you going to be a doctor?" Chat Noir asked.

A beat passed, then Hawkmoth nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "I went to medical school and everything, and I hated it. It was what my parents wanted for me, not what I wanted for me."

"What made you change to fashion?" Chat asked. "That's… a pretty big jump."

"Your mother," Hawkmoth replied, a small smile on his face. "Now really, let's get you home so you can sleep. You saw things you shouldn't have had to today."

A scream pierced the air, and they both winced. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Chat sighed, turning towards the source.

Hawkmoth followed his gaze, a frown on his face. "I'm gonna let that one slide, but only because it's been such a hectic day."

"The Sandboy just checked in; now nightmares can begin."

Chat's blood ran cold at the sound. Just the other day, he'd told Gabriel about his nightmare, and as much as he hated to say it, he didn't think it had changed one bit. The last thing he wanted to face was another cage.

"Are you okay?"

Chat jerked out of his reverie to look at his father. "Yeah," he breathed. "Let's get this one. Maybe fourth time's the charm and Ladybug will actually be able to undo the damage this time."

Hawkmoth nodded. "If you're sure. Attack him on both sides?"

Chat Noir gave him a small smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'll go left, you go right." He leaped away, trying to sneak up on Sandboy, but almost like he had someone keeping an eye out for him, he turned and hit him with a cloud of dust.

Chat fell back to the ground, coughing and sputtering. He stood up, only to run right into a set of prison bars. No. Nonononononono-

"Look what we've got here…"

Chat's breath caught in his chest. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, refusing to look at the fake Hawkmoth he knew was circling his cage. "No," he whimpered. "You're fake; you're not really here."

A sob escaped him before he could stop it.

"Oh, is the little boy going to run crying to his mommy?" Not-Hawkmoth taunted. "I never cared about you. Everything I did was for her. You were an afterthought."

"You're lying."

"You have Duusu's power within you… why wasn't that enough to break through the apathy spell? It's because you're weak, that's why. And because I never loved you."

"You're lying!" Chat couldn't help it. He opened his eyes and immediately wished he didn't; watching his father stand in front of him, even a fake version, broke his heart. He fell to his knees, another sob coming from him.

He could practically hear Hawkmoth's smirk. "Now be a good boy and give me the ring…"

Chat looked down at his hand, watched as his fingers went to remove the black ring. He just barely touched it when-

"Get away from my son!"

Chat jerked his head up to watch Hawkmoth jump down and slash his sword through the nightmare version, turning it to dust. Then, without hesitating, he dropped to his knees to join Chat. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I should have thought this out better, but I am going to get you out of here. I love you, son, _so much_. More than you could ever know. Now scoot back, okay?"

Chat Noir nodded, following Hawkmoth's instructions and backing up against the opposite wall. Hawkmoth raised his sword and brought it across the bars with a shout, tearing through them and making them easy to yank out.

The two worked together doing just that before turning their attention back to Sandboy. As they did, a yo-yo string wrapped around the pillow and yanked it out of the sky. Ladybug tore it in two, then walked over. "What did I miss?" she asked.

"A lot," Chat Noir and Hawkmoth replied in unison.

Ladybug looked the two of them over but didn't say anything, instead turning her attention to the victim. Sure enough, he had a rash up his neck and was coughing up blood.

Chat looked to Hawkmoth and put a hand on his arm. "Thank you, for saving me."

"Of course," Hawkmoth replied, voice soft and full of concern. "I will always do everything in my power to save you."

A small smile worked its way onto his face. "I know you will." He looked back to the boy, then to Hawkmoth again. "I'm gonna go with Ladybug and get the kid to the hospital," he said. "Keep me updated if there's another attack?

Hawkmoth nodded, and Chat Noir was off.

* * *

Chat landed in front of the Emergency Room, the child unconscious in his arms. He ran inside, following Ladybug as she cleared a path for him.

"Another akuma victim?" a doctor asked as a gurney was rolled up for him.

Chat laid the boy down and stepped back, giving the doctors room to work. "He's got a fever," he declared.

"Well you two are the only ones getting in and out of here; we're under quarantine," the doctor declared. "Your suits must make you immune. Almost everyone else who's come into direct contact with a victim has contracted the disease, too."

Ladybug and Chat Noir followed the doctor to the front desk. "How many have there been so far?" Ladybug asked. "Every akuma victim has been brought straight here." She looked inside the isolation room, and the two of them realized at the same moment that it was packed to capacity with over a dozen people inside.

The doctor looked back and forth between Ladybug and Chat Noir, then lowered her voice. "It's like SARS and the pneumatic plague had a baby," she whispered. "I've never seen this before. We had three people come in before we realized it and you all brought in four more, plus the ones who have been brought in between then and now. Whatever it is… it's bad. The original three are in the morgue."

"The morgue?" Chat whispered back. "They died?" He glanced at Ladybug for a second, her eyes focused on the patients through the quarantine, before he turned back to the doctor.

"It's progressing faster than it should," the doctor continued, turning around to pick up and look over some papers.

"Any idea what's causing it? Any… patient zero tidbits we should know? It's not Hawkmoth doing this; he's actually trying to help us stop it."

The doctor sighed, seeming to disregard his comment about Hawkmoth. "We don't even have any evidence of who patient zero could be. None of these people have been outside the country, eaten anything out of the ordinary… nothing." The doctor turned back around, and her face dropped. "What is she doing?"

Chat Noir spun around to see Ladybug walking into the anteroom, then the isolation room. Chat ran up, slamming his hand on the open button, but the doors didn't budge.

"The doors won't open until the isolation room is closed; it's a safety precaution," the doctor declared.

Chat ignored her, continuing to press the button until the isolation room doors closed so he could get in. "Ladybug, what are you doing?"

Ladybug took in a shaky breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry, kitty; you're gonna have to figure this one out on your own." She pulled the collar of her suit down, revealing the rest of the rash that was starting to peek out from under it.

Chat's blood ran cold. "No," he breathed. "No, Bugaboo, you can't-"

"I'm sorry, kitty," she repeated. Tears shone in her eyes, and she took a deep breath. "Get your dad, work with him on this, okay? Find out who's doing this and stop them, before anyone else gets sick."

Reluctantly, Chat nodded his head. "I will," he promised, voice cracking. "And you're gonna be okay, and we're gonna laugh about it, right?"

Ladybug nodded, but her smile did nothing to assure him. "Right," she agreed.

Chat Noir pulled back, walking out of the room and back into the ER. He took a shaky breath as his back hit the wall, and he slid down it. A trembling hand pulled his baton, and he pressed the butterfly button on the screen.

_Ri-_

"Chat Noir, are you okay?"

He sniffed, tears forming in his eyes. "I can't do this," he breathed. "There are three people dead and Ladybug, she's- she's-"

"I'll be right there," Hawkmoth promised. "Just hold on, okay? You can do this, I believe in you."

The screen went dark, and Chat dropped his baton. He sat there for a minute, numb, before he pulled himself back up and walked over to the window of the isolation room annex.

_Crash_.

Chat Noir watched, horrified and helpless, as Ladybug went from listening to one of the still-awake patients to laid out on the floor, unmoving.

"No," he breathed. "No, Ladybug!" He slammed his hand on the window, watching as a team of doctors ran into the annex to put on HAZMAT gear before moving into the isolation room. "Ladybug!" he yelled.

A pair of hands yanked him away from the window and turned him around, and without thinking, he lashed out, pushing his assailant away. Much to his shock, the man didn't move, and only then did he realize it was Hawkmoth.

"It's okay," Hawkmoth declared. "It's okay, everything's going to be okay."

Chat Noir just shook his head, unable to stop the hiccuping sobs that fell from him. "I can't do this," he cried. "I can't do this, she's gonna die and I couldn't protect her-"

Hawkmoth pulled him in closer, hugging him, and Chat Noir let himself fall apart, collapsing in his father's arms. Hawkmoth slowly lowered them to sit down and rocked Chat back and forth, petting his hair.

"I can't do this without her," Chat continued to whimper, even as he slowly calmed down.

Hawkmoth took in a shaky breath, and Adrien was certain he heard his voice crack at least once when he said, "I know it's scary. I know how hard it is to work without your partner. I know how much she means to you. But right now, what do you think she would want you to do, huh? She would want you out there, kicking ass until you stop whoever's doing this. She believes in you, Chat Noir. Prove her right."

Chat Noir nodded, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. He took in a shaky breath and pushed off from Hawkmoth, sitting up on his own before getting to his feet. He walked back over to the annex and saw there was only one doctor in the isolation room now, and Ladybug was hooked up to a dozen machines like all the other patients.

He pressed the button and went inside, then paused, reaching for a HAZMAT suit.

His hand stopped just short of grabbing it. Why wasn't he sick? Why wasn't Hawkmoth sick? All three of them had come into contact with almost all the akumatized victims, and both he and Hawkmoth had been straight-up _covered_ in Officer Raincomprix's blood, so why was she the sick one?

"She contracted it out of the suit," he whispered to himself. _Ladybug_ was patient zero, or at least one of them, and the suit just slowed the virus's progression. That's why he and Hawkmoth were fine; they hadn't been exposed until after they were suited up.

And… he was half kwami- a demigod. Did that make him immune to human ailments? He'd never been sick as a child aside from his pigeon feather allergy and that one time after Christmas, which could have easily been a stress reaction, and he'd always attributed his health to his parents' isolationist way of raising him, but maybe it wasn't.

Slowly, Chat Noir drew his hand back and pressed the button to enter the isolation room. He looked at the wide-eyed doctor and said, "I need you to turn around. Just for a minute. Please."

After a moment's hesitation, the doctor nodded and complied, and Chat Noir walked up to Ladybug. "Hey…" he cooed, taking her hand in his own. "Bugaboo?"

She gasped as she woke up, looking around the room. "Chat," she breathed. "I'm so sorry I can't help."

"I know you are, but this isn't your fault," Chat Noir replied. "I think I do know one thing I need to even try to fix this. We need to swap miraculous."

Ladybug pushed herself up on her elbows, even that a clear strain. "What?" she whispered. "Why…"

Chat Noir took a deep breath. "I need the ladybug miraculous to undo the damage once I get to the bottom of this, and you need a miraculous to stop the disease from speeding up and killing you," he explained.

"You don't have pierced ears…" Ladybug muttered, drifting back towards unconsciousness.

"Ladybug!" he shouted, jerking her awake again. "I'll handle that. Are you okay with switching?"

Ladybug nodded slowly, then raised her fingers to her ears. Slowly, she removed one, then the other, leaving Marinette Dupain-Cheng behind.

"Ma-" he caught himself- "My lady, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." He slid his ring off his finger and onto hers, giving her hand a squeeze. She stared at him in awe, and before he could think about it, he leaned down to give her a soft kiss.

Marinette lifted her hand, cupping his cheek, before she pulled back. "You say 'Tikki, spots on.' What do I say?"

"'Plagg, claws out,'" he instructed her.

She nodded. "Plagg, claws out." One again, Marinette was gone, replaced by a girl in a black catsuit, her hair in a braid. She laid back, her breath evening out as she fell asleep once more.

Adrien took a shaky breath and walked over to the doctor. "Don't turn around; do you have a needle and a mirror around here?"

"Just syringe needles," the doctor replied. "There are empty ones in the cupboard, and there's a mirror in the drawer."

"Thanks," Adrien replied, walking over and pulling out a syringe. He opened the drawer below it and pulled out the mirror inside, holding it up as he used his other hand to guide the needle into his ear. He cringed at the pain it caused, but pushed the earring into the poorly-made hole nonetheless. After repeating the process with the other ear, a little red kwami appeared in front of him.

"Oh you don't look good."

Adrien let out a breathy laugh. "Thank you, for the honesty."

Tikki gave him a small, not-entirely-reassuring smile. "Sorry, you just surprised me, that's all. I'm ready when you are."

He nodded. "Tikki, spots on!" The second he was transformed, he said to the doctor, "You can turn around now."

The doctor turned back and eyed the boy. After a moment's silence, he gave him a nod. "Go get 'em."

"Thanks."

* * *

It took Ladybug and Hawkmoth all of two minutes to find another akuma victim- two, actually. The Magician of Misfortune and the Pharaoh. Both were at the Louvre, so theoretically, they shouldn't have been that hard to stop.

Well, at least the Magician of Misfortune wasn't. All it took to stop him was a yo-yo around his hat, and it was practically over for him. Hawkmoth caught the boy as he transformed back, and Ladybug turned his attention to the Pharaoh across the courtyard.

"Hey! Chat Noir- er, Ladybug!"

Ladybug jerked his head to see Alya and Alix standing off to the side, alternating between waving their hands around wildly and pointing at the man between them- to Jalil Kubdel.

Ladybug swallowed hard and looked back to the Pharaoh. This wasn't an akuma; it couldn't be. Last he checked, Jalil was the only ancient Egyptian-themed akuma, so who the hell was the Pharaoh?

The Pharaoh turned his hand over, gathering a ball of black energy. He lifted his hand and swiped it across the glass wall of the Louvre, causing it to disintegrate. Ladybug's jaw dropped.

Nooroo had told Gabriel that he wasn't the worst chosen a kwami's ever had. A power-hungry pharaoh seeking complete control over humanity would definitely fit the description of 'worse.' Not to mention Ladybug had never seen what happened when cataclysm came into contact with another person, just Volpina's interpretation of it on Heroes' Day. It was entirely possible it could cause a plague.

"Hey!" he finally called out. "If you think you're hurting one more person today, you've got another thing coming! Lucky charm!"

He threw the yo-yo up in the air, and to his shock, a pamphlet for victims of domestic abuse fell into his hands. He looked it over for a moment, trying to connect the dots.

The Pharaoh started walking over, more than willing to monologue as he went. "My wife died, and a Ladybug stopped me from bringing her back," he growled. "I will kill every last one of you if I have to; I will have her back!"

He lunged, but Ladybug jumped out of the way and opened the pamphlet, looking for any indication about what he was supposed to do. The game of cat-and-mouse went on for a few minutes, Ladybug jumping out of the way and reading a few lines just in time for the pharaoh to recover and attack again, repeating the cycle until Ladybug flipped to the back.

_Fight like Ladybug! Self defense classes for victims of domestic violence!_

A cartoonish image of the real Ladybug was featured, but it was enough to spark a flash of the past in his mind. He turned to the pharaoh, holding up the pamphlet. "Your wife didn't die!" he shouted. "She faked it to get away from _you_! And when you started hurting people, she did everything in her power to stop you!" He let out a dry, taunting laugh. "The Ladybug who _stopped you_ is the same woman who _left you_! She will _never_ accept you back!"

The pharaoh looked him over, and Ladybug knew he'd shaken him. "Lies!" the man shouted. This time when he lunged, he dropped his baton, and Ladybug leaped over his head, picking up the fallen weapon.

With his usual weapon, Ladybug felt far more confident, slamming it against the pharaoh's face and knocking him off balance. Ladybug followed, stepping on his wrist and leaning down, plucking the ring off his finger. Both the pharaoh and the ring turned to dust, and Ladybug took a deep breath. "Please work," he whispered.

He threw the pamphlet into the air and shouted, "Miraculous ladybug!"

The pamphlet formed into a swarm of ladybugs that flew around the pyramid, repairing it, before darting off across the city- most notably in the direction of the hospital.

Ladybug let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Hawkmoth, who was still holding onto Jean, the civilian form of the Magician of Misfortune.

Slowly, he looked up, eyes sunken and sad. He shook his head, then turned back to the body in his arms.


	25. I Could Really Use an Ice Pack

Warning: Chapters 23, 24, and 25 all involve a mysterious SARS-like virus that spreads at a rapid rate, though contained within Paris. There are descriptions of both symptoms and a few medical procedures done to save the victims, none of which are presumed to be medically accurate. I wrote this storyline nearly a year ago, well before covid 19 was even a thing, and there are too many necessary plot points I hit with it to rewrite or scrap it. Please be advised when reading this update in particular, as it also includes a minor character death. Thank you.

* * *

**I Could Really Use an Ice Pack**

_Cough- cough- __"I want my mom."_

_Hawkmoth nodded, trying to hide the fear in his voice as he replied. __"I know," he said. "And you're gonna see her real soon, I promise. We're gonna get you to the hospital, and everything's gonna be okay."_

_The boy shook his head. __"I don't think I can make it that far," he whimpered. "I'm so tired…" His head rolled to the side, and Hawkmoth put two fingers to his neck. No pulse._

_Hawkmoth laid the boy down on the ground and began compressions, desperately trying to revive him. Every two minutes, he__'d pause to check for a pulse but always found none. He wasn't even choking; his heart had just… given out._

_By the time the fight was over, Hawkmoth sat there, the boy__'s dead body in his arms._

* * *

He hadn't gone home after Ladybug called out the miraculous cure. He assumed that Adrien had returned the earrings to the real Ladybug and she the ring to him, but they were all shaken. Hawkmoth had barely had time to check with Adrien before he returned to the hospital.

Most notably, according to the news sites, was the fact that those who died from disease didn't return. Ten funerals were being scheduled now, and Gabriel couldn't help but feel it was his fault. Each of the victims had been an akuma or came into contact with one, and if he hadn't akumatized them in the first place…

Gabriel stopped himself, taking a deep breath. He knew what Nooroo would say, what Adrien would say. It was the Guardians; they were the reason Gabriel started akumatizing people in the first place. But it sure as hell didn't feel like it wasn't his fault when that boy died in his arms. Worst of all, there wasn't even anything he could have done, or so Nooroo kept telling him.

"You need sleep," Nooroo declared. "Would you let Adrien stay up this late after all he's been through today?"

He didn't have a response to that; he hadn't really had much of a response to anything Nooroo had said since he detransformed after Ladybug defeated the pharaoh.

"Gabriel, you fought three akumas and a former black cat," Nooroo reminded him. "You need to take a break, give yourself time to recover and heal-"

A crash and a grunt caught his attention, and he looked down an alleyway he was about to pass. There was definitely a fight going on in it, two against one. "Nooroo, wings rise."

He took off running down the alley, sending a flying punch at one of the two aggressors. Stunned, the man backed up, allowing Hawkmoth to throw another punch at the other man, keeping them both away from the girl lying prone on the ground.

The two men looked him over and, realizing what they were up against, took off running back the way he came in.

Hawkmoth scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her out the other end of the alley, walking over to the nearest cafe with its lights on. He pushed the door open with his foot and walked inside, careful not to hit the girl's head on the door frame.

The cafe workers immediately went tense at the sight. He couldn't exactly blame them; it certainly didn't look good when an ex-supervillain came in carrying an unconscious teenage girl.

"Call 1-1-2," he ordered. "She's been attacked." He moved to a booth and laid her down, brushing her hair away from her eyes. A clear bruise was forming, going back past her hairline and doing god-knows-what-else damage. Two fingers to her neck indicated that she did in fact have a pulse, and she was definitely breathing.

His hand shook as he pulled back, a flash in his mind of the same action with a different result earlier that day.

The girl's eyes flitted open, and Hawkmoth finally recognized her as the one who'd threatened him over his treatment of Adrien- Chat Noir- the other night.

"Hi," he said, as gently as possible. "You were attacked in the alley by two men. Do you remember anything?"

The girl nodded a bit, then stopped, a hand going to her head.

"Don't try to move too much; you have a concussion," Hawkmoth told her. "If you really want, we can try sitting you up, but I don't think it's a good idea."

She ignored him, naturally, and sat up far faster and more abruptly than she should have, resulting in her bracing her head in her hands and her elbows on the table.

He glanced up at the waiter. "Could you please get her a glass of water and some bread, too? I need to know if she can hold it down."

The waiter nodded mutely and ran off into the kitchen, returning moments later with a glass of water and a basket of bread. His hands shook violently, and Hawkmoth could feel the fear radiating off of him.

"I'm not going to akumatize anyone," he promised. "I just want to get this girl to the hospital."

Again, the response was a silent nod from the waiter before he ran off to the other corner of the room.

"You're not a doctor," was the first thing out of Marinette's mouth.

"No, I'm not," he confirmed. "I'm a business owner here in Paris."

Marinette scoffed. "I know," she replied bitterly. "And no, Adrien didn't tell me."

For once, Hawkmoth was at a loss for words.

Marinette stared down at her water, zoned out and barely keeping it together. "Any idea when they're gonna be here?" Slowly, she looked up to Hawkmoth. "Cause I could really use an ice pack right about now."

"Not sure," Hawkmoth muttered. "Soon, hopefully. Chat Noir is going to be furious he wasn't here to protect you."

A long moment passed and Marinette looked back down at her glass before she said, "He's happier now. Even when he's sad and scared and confused, he's happier. Just having you- the real you- back in his life has done that. I understand it." A beat passed, and she looked up again. "But if you ever hurt him like that again, I absolutely meant it when I said I'd kill you."

She lifted her glass to her lips and finished it off in one go, then turned to the waiter keeping as far away from them as possible. "May I please have some more water?"

Hawkmoth kept his eyes on her, admittedly a little astonished that she had the gall to threaten him to his face when he was in this form. No wonder Adrien was friends with her. The fact that she was clearly a Ladybug fan surely didn't hurt either, if the earring was any indicator.

Marinette turned her head the other way to look out the window, and Hawkmoth's perception shifted instantaneously.

"You're only wearing one earring," he said, and his suspicion was confirmed. Marinette's eyes went wide and one hand jerked to her bare ear, and Hawkmoth knew. "It must have fallen off in the fight."

Marinette tried to get up, but it was made clear before she was a foot off the seat that she wouldn't be able to make it out the door, much less back to the alley.

"I'll get it," he promised. Before he could turn away, Marinette grabbed his wrist.

"If you don't return it to me, I'm telling your son."

Hawkmoth nodded mutely and turned, leaving the cafe to go back to the alley. He looked around, but saw nothing at first. Then-

"Psst!"

Hawkmoth jerked his head to the left, his eyes landing on a spot of red amongst the gray. He knelt down, and the blob came into focus as distinctly kwami-shaped. "Do you have it?"

The kwami nodded. "I'm Tikki; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you," Hawkmoth replied. "You obviously don't hold your chosen's contempt for me."

Tikki shook her head. "You weren't a villain by choice," she declared. "I've had chosens who definitely _wanted_ to do as much harm as possible. I admire those who seek to undo the damage they've caused, especially when it's not as easy as shouting 'miraculous ladybug.'"

A small smile worked its way onto Hawkmoth's face. "Thank you, Tikki. Now let's get you back where you belong, with Miss Dupain-Cheng." He pulled his lapel open, and Tikki flew in, hiding close to his body.

He turned back around and started walking to the cafe, but something immediately struck him as odd. The lights were off, and some sort of scuffle appeared to be going on, only shadows visible.

Hawkmoth took off running back towards the cafe and leaped through the window without a second thought. He tackled someone as he landed, and he was easily able to discern their body type was that of someone who spent hours working out each day building muscle, not that of a waiter or a teenager.

He pulled his fist back and punched, delivering the full power of his miraculous-enhanced strength behind it. The man was instantly knocked out, if not put into a coma, but there was at least one more person involved in the attack.

Operating on instinct and his other senses, Hawkmoth jumped on another body who seemed to be an aggressor. The man let out a strangled cry and turned around, and a glint of metal caught his eye in the dark. Hawkmoth withdrew his own sword and held it to the man's throat before he could even think to lift his hand.

"Who sent you?" Hawkmoth demanded. "What do you want with a teenage girl? She's a kid; she didn't even see you. It's not like she can identify you to the police."

There was a brief pause, and Hawkmoth pressed his sword in a bit closer, putting pressure on the man's throat.

"We never got a name!" Hawkmoth lessened the pressure. "She just said to take the girl's earrings, and if we got 'em to her, we'd get the rest of our payout."

The lights came on again, but Hawkmoth didn't look away. He stared at the man, memorizing every detail. In his peripheral vision, he could see Marinette as she sat up on the floor, bracing herself on the booth she's been sitting in earlier. The waiter was nowhere to be found, but he suspected he was the one in the back getting the lights to come back on.

"Her?" Hawkmoth asked.

He saw the outline of the other man nodding. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Blonde lady, late thirties, early forties, like 160 centimeters-ish. She had on this super nice blue dress, if that helps anything."

Hawkmoth was certain his heart skipped a beat. His eyes turned to Marinette, and it was clear she'd made the same connection as he had. He jerked back to the man. "Take your friend and get out of here. Never speak to that woman again." He lowered his sword, and the man darted out, abandoning his friend- no honor among thieves, he supposed.

Marinette took a shaky breath, trembling with fear.

Hawkmoth walked over, and as he pulled the second earring out of his jacket, Tikki came along with it, darting to Marinette's side.

"I'm so sorry," Marinette breathed.

Hawkmoth nodded slowly. "Me, too. I'll have to inform Chat Noir his mother is the one who caused the plague."

* * *

Uh... so sorry. Not really. Anyone catch some of the hints I've left sprinkled throughout this arc and the last that Madelaine was the bad guy?


	26. Interlude - You Have to Work for It

Per a request on discord, here are all the hints from earlier in the fic that Madelaine was evil:

· Chapter 1/2: the pair fighting in the first scene; the priest calls her Lady Foy, which will become relevant later

· Chapter 3/4: the flashback comment about knowing what happens when kwamis stick with one identity for too long

· Chapter 12: one of the guardians, when told by Emilie that humans would be better off if they were just kind to each other, told her "like you're one to talk" and made references to horrible things she's done

· Chapter 14: nothing in particular, but it does show that Duusu/Emilie has a dark side toward her enemies

· Chapter 15: Plagg's mention of kwamis doing wrong out of anger and frustration over their identities being taken over and over again

· Chapter 16: nothing related to Madelaine really, but there are two references to Marinette getting sick and I just felt the need to point that out

· Chapter 17: even though the number of Helena's parents worked just fine, the number to Madelaine's boss didn't- because it was fake; Plagg's comments about the crusades and the Cathars harken back to the flashback in chapters 1 and 2- he's trying to figure out if something went wrong and she remembers something from the last time she was named Madelaine; also Plagg's comments about Madelaine being chill about magic

· Chapter 19: if you thought Madelaine suddenly coming on to Gabriel was weird, this is why- she was trying to manipulate him

· Chapter 22: another mention of the surname Foy; also, if you thought the bit with Madelaine fixing Marinette's shirt tag was weird, that was on purpose, too- it's when Madelaine infected her

· Chapter 23: akuma abilities are being pulled out of time, which follows Duusu's time skillset

· Chapter 24: contrary to Chat's theory, there isn't just one patient zero, but multiple, i.e. those Madelaine akumatizes plus Marinette (see the comment about chapter 22); also, the Pharaoh himself was pulled out of his time and into the present

I didn't want to say it outright at any point, just leave a few breadcrumbs for you to follow that might offer a hint. ;)

* * *

**Interlude – You Have to Work for It**

Duusu cringed, dabbing at the blood on her forehead with a wet cloth. Her power couldn't save her this time and even then, she wouldn't go back and risk changing anything just to avoid a minor head wound. She was a god; she could handle it. Her wound wasn't even that bad compared to some of the others', she thought, eyes drifting over to Daizzi, the youngest of them all at only 100 years old.

His blonde hair was stained pink by half-washed-out blood, his wrist swollen and clutched close to his chest. He nearly let his eyes close, only to jerk back awake. Trixx, Daizzi's father, sighed and brushed his bangs away from his face. "You did a good job," he whispered.

"We all did."

The voice of her sister caught Duusu's attention, and she turned to look at Tikki. 3,600 gods before this began, now down to seven, with thirteen demigods fighting alongside them. Children and grandchildren fighting one man- one god.

Tikki pushed herself to her feet with no small effort, limping towards the center of the group. She was the eldest, the leader, the one they all looked to for guidance, even if the seven originals were septuplets. She was the one who declared they had to stop their biological father from destroying the world.

"You did an amazing job. I'm proud of all of you and your bravery and your will. But we're not out of the woods yet. Enlil has proven that the gods had too much power- and so do we. There needs to be something to keep us in check. We've spent the past five centuries protecting humans; maybe we should trust them with our powers."

"How would that work?" Roaar asked. "We can't just leave our powers on a rock for someone to find. I wouldn't even know how to remove my powers."

"We've thought about that," Wayzz answered for Tikki. "The solution is to put our power into certain items, then inhabit those items when they're being used by a human."

Fluff raised an eyebrow. "And where will we be in the in-between?"

Duusu sighed, resting her hands on her knees. "With each other. In a separated dimension away from mankind." They'd been talking about this for centuries, for almost as long as they'd been fighting Enlil. But no one had mentioned it to their kids yet. They hadn't the need, still fighting for the world. But the time had come and they had to make a choice. They all did.

"We'll give up our human forms in exchange for the ability to grant others a lesser version of our powers," Duusu continued. "It's not necessary for your kids to do it if you don't want to, but the seven of us are all going to do it."

Nooroo nodded in agreement. "Enlil wasn't always the monster we fought. He became that way, and the last thing we want is to find a time when we turn into him. You'll all age and pass on eventually, and even if you have kids, their powers will dilute with each generation, so the threat to mankind diminishes over time. We won't."

A long, drawn-out silence filled the cave they had been taking shelter in for the past two weeks. Finally, Orikko, Duusu's own child, stood up, clutching their side. "So my power, it could help humans forever? Even after I've passed?"

Plagg cleared his throat nervously. "If you do this, you will never pass. You'll become like us."

"And I'll be able to help them?"

"Yes."

Orikko hesitated, then nodded. "Then I'm doing it."

"Me, too."

"Me, too."

Gradually, one by one, all thirteen demigods coming to a consensus that yes, they would give up their regular lives for immortality, for the benefit of mankind.

"Okay," Pollen sighed. "Then that just leaves one more thing: who stays?" Confused murmurs rang out, and she elaborated. "We need someone to stick around and protect the conduits. And to choose and induce people to continue protecting the conduits after their death."

The pause was longer this time. No one seemed to want to be the one left behind, to have their ability not benefit mankind for generations to come. But eventually, one of them stood up.

Plagg's eldest child, Kitt, got to her feet. "I will," she declared. "My power is too dangerous for anyone to have, even me. When I go, it'll end. And that way no one will get their hands on my ability."

Plagg stepped up to Kitt, wrapping her in a hug. He whispered something in her ear, then pulled back, tears in his eyes. "I've got some old scrolls from Inanna that should let us pull it off," he spoke up, addressing the group. "We'll need to figure out a way to get people to follow you, Kitt. To protect the items we choose, make sure they have good judgment, pick the right people to wield them… that sort of thing."

"Guardians," Kitt concluded. "Guardians of miraculous power."

Orikko scoffed. "Well, we beat Enlil. I'd say that was pretty miraculous itself."

"We did," Duusu breathed, the realization that they won finally hitting her full force. "We did."

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep!_

Emilie Agreste reached out and turned off the alarm clock, getting out of bed with ease and a smile on her face. She turned, looking at Gabriel as he turned in his sleep but didn't otherwise stir. He would change over time, this she knew for a fact, but in the meantime, he was _not_ going to wake up before nine on a Saturday.

After planting a kiss on his cheek, Emilie changed into a fresh set of clothes and left the room to prepare a bowl of cereal for herself. She enjoyed her quiet time, reading the newspaper and working on the crossword until she heard tiny feet running down the hall. She put the paper down just before a little blonde bundle could crash into her lap.

"Good morning, darling," she greeted her son. "And how are you this morning?"

He smiled with a light that outshone the sun, his eyes looking more teal than green- a leftover she'd noticed from when he'd had a vision in his dreams. "I'm great!" he cheered. "I saw her last night!"

Emilie furrowed her eyebrows together. "Who, kitten?"

"The girl I'm gonna marry," he replied. "We're gonna have a girl; her name will be Emilie like you but we're gonna call her Emmy- and two hamsters! We're gonna have those, too, and two more kids, but I didn't hear their names."

A smile broke out over Emilie's face that matched Adrien's. "I'm so happy for you, kitten," she said, pulling him into her lap. "But remember, the future doesn't just happen."

"_You have to work for it_," the two said in unison. Adrien had heard her say that enough times to have the entire speech memorized, even the longer, more rambley versions of it.

"And we don't tell anyone about what we can do," Emilie added in. She hated having to teach her son to lie, but it was safer for him that way. Even if he wasn't going to be burned as a witch for it now, seeing the future was still something people would either ostracize or attack him for- not to mention the ones who would love to get their hands on him for their own nefarious purposes. That's what led her and Gabriel to the difficult decision to homeschool in the first place. The last thing they needed was for someone to notice that Adrien's eyes had turned blue during reading hour or something, and it would be a couple of decades before his powers settled into something concrete like the other younger kwamis'.

Adrien nodded understandingly. "I know, Mommy." He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about her? Can I tell her?"

Emilie didn't answer at first. She wasn't really sure what to say, in all honesty. For five thousand years, she'd jumped around from her true form to false identities, but the miraculous were always in the shadows. Now, the world had superheroes. America had Victory, Sparrow, and Knightowl, and of course Paris had Paon up until Emilie took a human form. The girl Adrien married… she might not be able to handle that. Unless he was honest with her, then she'd know.

"Just… as long as it's before you marry her," she finally said. "Not too much before, I don't want you telling her the day you meet, but you need to be honest with each other. That's how relationships grow strong."

Adrien nodded solemnly, hanging on her every word. "And then I can keep her and our kids safe from the bad people."

Emilie froze, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "The… the bad people?" she repeated. "What do you mean, kitten? What bad people?"

"The ones you and Daddy talk about when you think I can't hear," he explained. "The ones that want to take you cause you're special. But they don't know you're here, so we're safe from them right now."

_Right now_. Emilie's mind flashed, a vision she'd had dozens of times before, one in which her son, dressed in a suit obviously made by Plagg, fought a Guardian in front of a portal to the Ekur.

"Right," she said. "We're safe from them." The image of her son in battle wouldn't leave her mind. "Why don't we practice, hm?"

Adrien beamed at the idea, leaping up and running around to the other side of the coffee table. He plopped down on the floor, leaning on the table with his chin in his hands.

Emilie picked a pebble out of the vase on the tabled and passed it over to Adrien. "Focus on how that feels," she said. "Think about how smooth it is in your hand, if it's cold or warm, the weight."

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, tightening his hand into a tiny fist.

It was hard for Emilie not to giggle at the sight. He looked so perfect, the picture of innocence and delight.

"Alright," she said, "now give me the rock."

Adrien opened his eyes and passed the pebble over to Emilie. "Now what?"

"Now, you take it back."

Adrien reached out, but Emilie closed her hand around the rock. "Not like that," she said, slightly amused. "I should have explained that a bit better. You need to imagine the way the rock felt in your hand the moment you were holding it. Draw it back from that moment in time, from my hand to yours."

Adrien nodded, suddenly looking serious with his lips pursed and his eyebrows furrowed together. His hand shook and his face scrunched up, but Emilie felt the rock vanish from her closed fist.

Slowly, Adrien opened his eyes, then his hand, and sure enough, there was the pebble inside it.

Emilie grinned, reaching out and cupping his cheeks. "That was amazing, kitten!" She kissed his forehead. "Oh, I'm so proud of you! You know, that took me millennia to learn. I used to only be able to pull things from the moment I held them, and you've leaped right over that."

"Leaped right over what?"

Emilie and Adrien turned to the door, watching Gabriel walk in. His hair was a mess and his glasses askew, but the sight of him still made Emilie smile, reminded her of why she'd fallen in love with him.

"It seems your child is a prodigy," Emilie declared, her gaze drifting from her husband to her son. "He's managed to pull something out of my hand just by holding it shortly before."

Gabriel hummed, a smile on his face. "Well I certainly hope you use that power for good and not evil." He leaned down, tickling Adrien and causing him to burst into laughter. He stopped suddenly, getting in close to Adrien with a mischievous look on his face. "That means no stealing ice cream before dinner."

"No promises," Adrien replied, grinning.

Gabriel's jaw dropped. "No promises?" he parroted. "What do you mean 'no promises?'" He picked up his giggling son and spun him around before falling into the sofa next to Emilie. "You're putting devious thoughts in his head."

Emilie snorted, giving Gabriel a light slap on the shoulder. "You goof," she laughed.

"Yeah, goof," Adrien agreed.

Gabriel looked from Adrien to Emilie. "Devious," he repeated in a whisper.

Emilie only grinned, unable not to enjoy the moment with her husband and son. Even if things wouldn't be perfect in the future, they were perfect now. And that's all she could ask for.

* * *

Bonus:

Tikki – Ladybug – Creation

Plagg – Black Cat – Destruction

Wayzz – Turtle – Protection

Nooroo – Butterfly – Transformation

Trixx – Fox – Deception

Pollen – Bee – Communication (because wtf was canon doing)

Duusuu – Peafowl – Time (originally snake/bunny's power)

Mullo – Mouse – Size Manipulation – daughter of Nooroo (see: transformation-based power)

Kitt – White Cat – Energy/Life Force Absorption – daughter of Plagg (see: destruction-based power)

Stompp – Ox – Omnilinguism – son of Pollen (see: communication-based power)

Roaar – Tiger – Imitation – daughter of Trixx (see: deception-based power)

Fluff – Rabbit – Multiplication (originally mouse power) – daughter of Tikki (see: creation-based power)

Longg – Dragon – Weather – daughter of Tikki (see: creation-based power)

Sass – Snake – Invisibility – son of Wayzz (see: protection-based power)

Kaalki – Horse – Teleportation – daughter of Pollen (see: communication-based power)

Ziggy – Goat – Shapeshifting – daughter of Nooroo (see: transformation-based power)

Xuppu – Monkey – Power Disruption – son of Plagg (see: destruction-based power)

Orikko – Rooster – Parachronal Cognition – child of Duusu (see: time-based power)

Barkk – Dog – Healing – son of Wayzz (see: protection-based power)

Daizzi – Pig – Deception Detection – son of Trixx (see: deception-based power)


	27. You Didn't Tell Him?

**You Didn't Tell Him?**

Adrien was Chat Noir. Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste. Ten people were dead. Madelaine clearly knew her secret identity.

It was a lot to process, and she still hadn't done it by the time she got back to school. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd convinced the doctors to let her leave, let alone her parents, but it worked, and there was no way in hell she was turning that down. She and Adrien had a lot to talk about, and missing school, even for a legitimate reason, would destroy her resolve by the next day.

She was so focused on what she was going to say that she completely missed when class started and was only jerked out of her trance by the akuma alert system. She jerked, looking around the room with her eyebrows furrowed together. Her eyes landed on Adrien, who had turned to face her.

He shook his head, obviously as confused as she was.

Alya, of course, had her phone out in a heartbeat, looking up all the news sites. "There's an army in the streets," she said, looking up from her phone to Mlle. Bustier. "Why would Hawkmoth form an army right after helping Ladybug and Chat Noir stop the plague?"

Marinette finally gathered her wits about her enough to get up and walk over to the door, closing and locking it. She didn't see the butterfly, but she sure as hell felt it fly into the lucky charm Adrien had given her. She gasped, her body going rigid as she instinctively fought off the intrusion.

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I need you to calm down," a voice- Hawkmoth's voice- whispered in her mind. "This won't work if you don't have a clear head."

"I'll do it," she blurted out.

"I didn't even tell you what I want you to do."

Marinette took a shaky breath. "I can imagine," she muttered, trying not to be heard by her classmates. "Find a way to stop her, right?"

Hawkmoth sighed. "Right," he confirmed. "And I need someone involved in this; we can't have anyone else finding out the truth."

A hand on her shoulder made her gasp, but she still didn't turn around. "Marinette?" Adrien asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

Marinette nodded, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was for Adrien or Hawkmoth. "Adrien?" she asked "I think I'm gonna need you to catch me."

"What? Why-"

White bubbles covered her, but when they vanished, she looked exactly the same. She also immediately fell back into Adrien's arms, unconscious.

* * *

Marinette opened her eyes to the ceiling of a church, the stone aged but kept free of dust. She blinked a few times and sat up, looking around the room.

"I cannot believe you're content to just sit around while innocent people are burning!" Marinette jerked her head to see two people arguing- Madelaine and a man in black.

The man shook his head. "You forget that my last chosen burned along with the others," he replied, just as angry. "If we intervene, the humans will know about us, and the last time our kind were worshipped, our father nearly destroyed the world. Besides, even if you're able to stay hidden, you only have a year left before you-"

The sound of a door opening made the two straighten up, the man in particular adjusting his black tunic and smoothing his equally dark hair.

Another man walked up, a bright red cross on his white tunic. "Lady Foy, what brings you here today?" he asked. "You're not a woman to sin so often you must confess every day."

Madelaine smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, cardinal," she assured him. "I'm just here to offer something my mistress found to your sacristan here. It's a chalice that's been passed down in her family for generations."

The man in black gave her a smile back, but his was so clearly forced while hers seemed almost perfectly natural. "Thank you, Lady Foy. We are honored to have your mistress's addition."

"I'm certain you are." She turned to leave, but not without shooting the man in black a dirty glare.

Marinette jumped up and ran after her, following her out into the street. The second she did, she knew she wasn't in Kansas anymore. "Holy shit," she breathed, looking around at the horse-drawn carriages and vendors in the street. Everything about it screamed Middle Ages.

Her eyes darted back to Madelaine's route, but she was long gone and her path hidden by other pedestrians. So maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

"It's too dangerous!"

Marinette spun to see the man in black outside the church, speaking with another man in a priest's robes.

"What is and isn't too dangerous isn't up to you, Plagg," the priest declared. "Now let me into my church. If we're lucky, we'll be able to find a volunteer before she kills anyone else."

"You don't know that she's killed anyone," the man said, taking a step aside to continue blocking the priest's path.

The priest scoffed. "Tell that to the families of her victims," he replied. "They all were killed by a short blade to the heart. That is _her weapon_."

"It's also the weapon of every soldier's child that they keep well into adulthood," Plagg hissed. "Return to the temple must be voluntary; allow me a bit more time to convince her, and this will be easier on everyone."

Footsteps marching down the street dragged her attention away, and she turned to see men in ancient Egyptian clothing, spears and other weapons in hand. She turned back to see the priest give Plagg a look that could only be described as saying "I told you so."

Plagg let out a sigh, worry and exhaustion on his face. "Fine," he agreed. "Do what you have to; I'm going to try to take care of these guys."

As Plagg ran into the fray, Marinette turned her attention to the rooftops and any place Madelaine could hide. She had to be close to do this, right? She thought back to where Madelaine had said she was going the day before- some spa in the first arrondissement. That was pretty close to most of the victims, but not all of them, so maybe proximity wasn't a concern.

As the realization hit her, Marinette groaned. It looked like her best option was to find out what the Guardians were up to.

She turned and retreated into the church, watching as the priest who'd spoken to Plagg approached the cardinal.

"Any word on a volunteer?" he asked.

The cardinal nodded. "She thinks it's a new form of baptism the pope proposed for ex-heretics," he replied.

The priest scoffed. "If we get caught-"

"I'm willing to risk it if it means taking that monster off the streets of Paris," the cardinal interrupted. "Let's just hope this one is stronger than the others."

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the church was gone, and Marinette found herself standing in a castle amongst a group of servants. In front of the crowd was Madelaine, holding a short blade to a man's throat. In a single, fluid motion, she cut his throat, and Marinette gasped, eyes going wide and hands covering her mouth.

That drew Madelaine's attention, and she looked the girl over- very obviously able to see her even though no one else could. She smirked and spoke to the 'congregation.'

"It seems we have a little witch in our midst," she declared. "A time traveler." She looked directly at Marinette. "When I find you- and I will- you will wish for death."

"Heard it before," Marinette spat out. "The only one going down today is you." She stepped forward, walking right through the servants' bodies and up to Madelaine. "I'm not gonna let you terrorize these people, terrorize Paris. I'm Ladybug and right now, a seijin. And you're not gonna win."

Madelaine hummed to herself. "A ladybug and a butterfly active at the same time… I'll keep that in mind for when it's time to kill you." Her eyes raked over Marinette again in a way that made her skin crawl. "Interesting attire, as well. No, finding you shouldn't be difficult at all."

Oh. _Oh_. Oh this was bad. Marinette glanced down at her outfit and realized that it was, in fact, rather distinguishable given the time period, and Madelaine would be on the lookout for it. She might even-

"Try to poison me…" The words slipped out of Marinette's mouth before she could stop them. "It was on purpose! I wasn't just a random victim; you were targeting me!"

Madelaine scoffed. "Obviously it doesn't work; I'll have to go for something more powerful," she declared. "On the bright side, this means I'll escape the Guardians' clutches."

Marinette opened her mouth, then stopped herself. This was her best bet, wasn't it? No, it was _their_ best bet. The Guardians'. Let Madelaine think she'd be getting away for centuries when in reality, time was about to catch up with her. "This isn't over," she finally said.

Madelaine grinned and tilted her head a little. "No, it certainly isn't," she replied. "I look forward to meeting you for real, little bug. But until then, get out of my castle."

* * *

Marinette woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and breath coming in gasps. She rolled over, only to fall a good six feet to the floor. She moaned in pain, pushing herself up to her hands and knees.

A pure white butterfly fluttered away from her, and Marinette flopped backwards, down onto her butt. Her eyes drifted upward, and she realized she had been on top of the lockers in the locker room. Weird.

Ugh, the fall must have messed with her head. She swore she could still hear the marching of soldiers outside the room. Marinette stumbled to her feet and walked over to the door, freezing when she saw four lines of men in metal armor walking down the hallway.

Marinette jumped back, plastering herself to the wall next to the door. She pulled her jacket open. "Tikki, spots-"

She looked inside her jacket and found nothing. "Tikki?" Her eyes darted around the room. "Tikki? This is so not the time to play hide and seek!" she whisper-yelled. "Tikki!"

Still nothing. Marinette let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. Maybe it could still work, even if Tikki couldn't hear her. "Tikki, spots on!"

Sure enough, the familiar reddish-pink light washed over her, leaving her in her Ladybug costume and… a little dizzy? Marinette put a hand on her head to steady himself. "Okay," she breathed, standing back up. "I'm good."

Ladybug threw the door open and cast her yoyo out, swinging straight through the lines of soldiers and taking out a row. She flipped herself upward, landing on the upstairs banister. She looked down, seeing Chat and a brunette woman in a crowd of soldiers, fighting them off.

Chat glanced up at her and smiled. "Have a nice nap?"

"I've had better," she called back down to him. "New friend?"

The brunette woman spared a look up at her, then spun back around and slammed her fist into one of the soldiers' chest, denting the metal and knocking him on his back. He vanished in a puff of blue smoke.

"You could say that!" Chat swung his baton like a baseball bat, hitting one soldier and throwing him into another, turning them both to blue smoke like the last one.

Ladybug looked around, seeing at least another two dozen soldiers ready to fight. There was only one way to end this. "Lucky charm!"

The world moved in slow motion. The brunette woman down below turned to her, eyes wide with fear, distracting Ladybug enough that she didn't realize for a moment that nothing fell into her hands. She lowered her hand, seeing black energy crackling over it like Chat Noir's cataclysm.

A round of coughs wracked her body, and even though she tried to cover her mouth with her free hand, she doubled over, mistakenly throwing herself off the banister. Her hand desperately sought purchase, but she only grabbed one of the soldiers, turning him to ash.

Ladybug hit the ground, her head bouncing on the concrete. Another cough escaped her, and she moaned in pain. Black spots clouded her vision, and she vaguely registered Chat's cries for her as the world faded away.

* * *

"Hey, she's waking up."

Marinette blinked a few times, the light from the windows burning her eyes. She moaned in pain, lifting her hand to cover her face. "Where am I?" she tried to say, but her words came out so slurred she was barely intelligible.

Thankfully, someone understood her. "You're in one of our guest rooms," a new voice said. "Adrien, shut the curtains; she's bound to have some photosensitivity."

When the bright light hitting her eyelids vanished, she finally opened her eyes and lowered her hand. Adrien came running over from the windows, and M. Agreste stood by her bedside, Nooroo floating next to him.

"What'd I miss?" Marinette managed to ask. "Who was that brunette lady? She didn't look like a champion."

Adrien shook his head. "She wasn't; she just showed up and started fighting. Dad was able to make Rose a seijin, and she helped after you were knocked out."

There was a flash in Marinette's mind, a stutter, really, of her hand being surrounded by black energy when she called for her lucky charm. Of a coughing fit and falling to the ground.

Suddenly, another round of coughs hit Marinette, and she rolled over onto her side in the bed.

"Is it the plague?"

Marinette looked back to see Adrien looking up at Gabriel, concern in his eyes.

"We defeated the Pharaoh, he shouldn't be doing any more damage."

Gabriel shook his head. "No, this wasn't the Pharaoh. It's something else."

"But Madelaine still might have had something to do with it," Marinette sighed.

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Madelaine?" he asked. "What's she got to do with this?"

Marinette's eyes went wide with realization, and she looked to Gabriel. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

* * *

There's a little chunk missing from what Marinette saw, but that'll be a surprise until later. ;)


	28. Tell Me What?

**Tell Me What?**

Adrien didn't expect things to go too smoothly the first day back at school. Lila and a student in another class were both dead, along with eight others throughout the city. He had been able to cure the sick since they were given their illness through magic, but for some reason the dead stayed that way, and he didn't know how to handle it. Even his father was obviously shaken by it.

And then there was Marinette. She was still weak and recovering like the other victims, but she wasn't in any records as such since it was _Ladybug_ who had the virus, not her.

Oh, and then there was the fact that she _passed out in his arms_.

He hadn't expected it, so their descent to the floor was more of a controlled fall than anything else. He maneuvered himself out from under her and laid her down properly, then removed his outer shirt and balled it up, placing it under her head to act as a pillow.

"I'm going to call 1-1-2" Mme. Bustier declared, pulling out her cell phone.

"They won't be able to do anything with an army in the streets," Adrien objected. "Besides, I think it's a seijin."

"A what?"

Adrien froze for a split second, but recovered in record time. "I made it up," he lied. "They're like akumas but good guys. I mean, akuma means demon, seijin means saint- it makes sense."

"Whoa."

Adrien turned to Alya, her eyes glued to her phone. She looked over to Marinette for a second, then back down. "Someone claiming to be Hawkmoth just dm'd me on the Ladyblog." She scrolled through the message, then looked back to Marinette. "He said Marinette's okay, just that her consciousness is in the 1200s, when the woman who is responsible for the army was alive?" She shook her head, confused. "He also said that the army's going to be looking for her, and we can't let them see."

His eyebrows furrowed together, and he looked back down at Marinette. "Well then we've gotta hide her." He scooped her up in his arms with ease, mind racing with a million options.

For a flash, he saw Marinette lying on top of the lockers in the locker room, a blanket covering her body.

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, Adrien, your eyes were blue again," Chloé added in a whisper.

Adrien just shook his head. "I'm fine," he assured them. "Kim, Ivan, I need your help. We're going to put Marinette on top of the lockers and cover her."

Kim and Ivan both nodded, following him out and down the stairs to the locker room. His mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to stall the army, to stop them from finding Marinette.

He passed Marinette's unconscious body to Kim and Ivan, and they easily hoisted her atop the lockers.

"You think this is gonna work?" Kim asked. "I mean, if there's a magical army hunting for her, shouldn't they be able to find her even if she isn't in class?"

"It's the best we've got right now," Adrien declared, dashing over to the emergency fire blanket and opening the box. He pulled the blanket out and unfolded it before tossing it over the lockers and Marinette. "You guys go back to class. I'm gonna stand guard."

Kim shot him a dubious look. "You sure?"

"Positive," Adrien replied. "As long as I stay hidden, no one's going to notice me, and if anyone comes looking too close, I'll fight 'em off. You guys get back to class."

Ivan nodded and gave Kim a little jerk, and the two walked off.

Once Adrien was sure they were far enough away, he cast another cursory glance around the room. Then—

"Plagg, claws out!"

As he ran out of the locker room, the front doors broke down to reveal medieval knights. Chat Noir pulled out his baton, spinning it around and creating a makeshift shield in front of him.

"Alright," he breathed. "Who's ready to get their ass kicked?"

The knights charged, and while Adrien fought off as many as he could, he quickly found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number. He ducked a sword only to run headfirst into a chest plate. He kicked that soldier back only to get grabbed from behind.

Suddenly, a boomerang cut over him, beheading all of the knights and turning them into blue smoke, including the one holding him.

Chat Noir dropped, looking over his shoulder to see a brunette woman catch the boomerang. She twirled it in her hand and it vanished, and she ran up to Chat.

"Are you okay?" she asked, eyes filled with worry.

Chat nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine… who are you?"

She shot him a kind smile, the kind his mother used to give him. "A friend." She glanced to the door, where more soldiers started to march in. "You ready for round two?"

"Always."

The battle started to go a little smoother after that, but they were still losing. Two against a hundred was hardly a fair match.

Suddenly, the locker room doors flew open, and Ladybug swung out on her yoyo, landing on the upstairs banister.

Chat beamed up at her. "Have a nice nap?" she quipped

"I've had better," she called back down to him. Her eyes darted to the mysterious woman. "New friend?"

The woman spared a look up at Ladybug, then spun back around and slammed her fist into one of the soldiers' chest, denting the metal and knocking him on his back. It vanished in a puff of blue smoke.

"You could say that!" Chat swung his baton like a baseball bat, hitting one soldier and throwing him into another, turning them both to blue smoke like the last one.

Everything was going to be okay now. Ladybug was here; she always pulled through, no matter what.

"Lucky charm!"

Chat grinned. The fight was as good as done now. He glanced back to see what Ladybug had conjured, only to be stunned by what he saw. Instead of a mirror or stuffed animal in her hands, her right hand only was consumed by black, crackling energy. It looked identical to his cataclysm.

Then, Ladybug burst into coughs, covering her mouth with her left hand. She folded over, falling off the banister.

Chat started running, desperately trying to make it through the sea of knights to reach her in time.

He swore he could hear the sound of her head hitting the blacktop. "Ladybug!" he cried. He pushed past the final soldier and dropped to his knees in front of her, cradling her limp form in his arms.

The brunette woman appeared in the corner of his eye, swinging a sword through half a dozen soldiers to get to them. "Get her on the roof," she ordered. "They won't be able to reach, and you can get her back when the fight's over."

Chat looked up at her, eyes filled with tears. "We're gonna lose," he whispered.

The brunette woman looked up, eyes landing on something upstairs. "Don't count us out just yet."

Without a second thought, Chat followed her gaze, landing on what had to be Rose as a seijin. She raised her hands, and he felt a warm light wash over him. He looked back, and the soldiers were all gone.

Chat looked back to Ladybug, holding her tight against his body, then to the mystery woman. "Thank you, for… everything. However you did it."

The woman nodded. "Get her to your house. She's about to detransform and a hospital won't do her any good if they know."

Chat nodded obediently, then jumped up into the air, rushing towards his house.

He landed in his room just as his father ran inside, straightening his suit jacket. "What happened? I sent another seijin and they were particularly worried about- oh."

"Yeah," Chat said, voice cracking. He laid Ladybug down on the bed just as she detransformed, but Tikki didn't appear. "What do I do?" he asked, struggling to hold back the sob in the back of his throat.

Gabriel sighed, unable to hide the fear on his own face. "Detransform. Get an ice pack from the kitchen and a glass of water. Is she bleeding?"

"Not anymore."

"Okay, then go."

Adrien made record time. The house felt emptier than usual as he rushed about his tasks, not that he dwelled on the thought with Marinette in danger.

When he got back, he saw Marinette on her side, attended to by his father as he cleaned the wound on the back of her head. "She's clotting properly, but we won't know the full extent of the damage until she regains consciousness," he said without looking up. He set a bloody gauze pad down on the bedside table before finally turning to Adrien. "She'll be okay."

"Promise?"

Gabriel hesitated; all the answer Adrien needed.

Marinette whimpered, and Adrien jerked his attention to her. "Hey, she's waking up."

Marinette blinked a few times, squinting against the light from the windows. She moaned in pain, lifting her hand to cover her face. "WheramI?"

"You're in one of our guest rooms," Gabriel said. He turned to Adrien. "Adrien, shut the blinds; she's bound to have some photosensitivity."

Adrien nodded obediently and ran over to the windows, closing the blinds as quickly as he could. He ran back over to see Marinette slowly adjusting to the room.

"What'd I miss?" Marinette grumbled. "Who's da brunette lady? She'n't look like a ch'mp'on."

Adrien shook his head. "She wasn't," he explained. "She just showed up and started fighting. Dad was able to make Rose a seijin, and she helped after you were knocked out."

Marinette froze for a minute, seemingly lost in thought, then she started coughing. She rolled over onto her other side, as if trying to shield them from herself.

"Is it the plague?" Adrien asked, fear seeping through his voice. He looked up to his dad. "We defeated the Pharaoh, he shouldn't be doing any more damage."

Gabriel shook his head. "No, this wasn't the Pharaoh. It's something else."

"But Madelaine still migh'ave had something to do with it," Marinette breathed.

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Madelaine?" he asked, looking back and forth between Marinette and his father. "What's she got to do with this?"

Marinette's eyes went wide with realization, and she looked to Gabriel. "You didn't tell him?" Her voice was astonishingly clear.

"Tell me what?" Again, Adrien looked from Marinette to his father and back. They both had grave looks on their faces.

Finally, Gabriel sighed. "Lie down and don't move your head," he ordered Marinette. "It will aggravate your concussion." He put a hand on Adrien's shoulder and guided him out into the hallway for a bit of privacy.

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I am so sorry it's come to this."

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Dad, you're scaring me."

Gabriel nodded in understanding. "I'm a little scared, too, son," he confessed, tears in his eyes. "Madelaine… she's not a new persona. She was one of your mother's identities during the Crusades. She figured out what she was and started dodging the Guardians. She thought it was unfair that she not only was living under a life that wasn't really hers, but also that she didn't get to _make it_ hers. Which is right, I suppose, but she took it too far. She started… _unlocking_ more and more of your mother's powers until she was able to summon armies out of the past. She rampaged and tortured and did all sorts of unspeakable things. I still don't know how the Guardians tricked her into going through the portal and giving up her identity."

Adrien listened, enraptured and horrified.

"We'll find a way to get her back-"

"Will we?" Adrien asked. "Helena only remembered because she cared about me. If what you say is true, Madelaine doesn't care about anybody. She was just using us."

Gabriel took a shuddering breath and removed his glasses. "Okay, I don't know. But I do know that someone beat her. Somehow. Some way. And if someone else beat her, we can figure out how they did it. And then we can go from there."


	29. It Looks Like You're a Supervillain

**It Looks Like You're a Supervillain**

The morning began as the previous night ended for Marinette, with a coughing fit. She braced herself on the stairs down from her bed, covering her mouth and trying to go unheard by her parents. The last thing she needed was for them to think she had the flu or worse, that Madelaine's plague was still active.

Her head wasn't spinning nearly as much anymore, likely thanks to the protection she received from her miraculous, but she still wasn't looking forward to running around all day.

She changed and made her way downstairs to the bakery, only to see a brown-haired woman standing in the kitchen, listening intently to her parents. But it wasn't just any random brunette; this was the woman who fought alongside Chat yesterday.

Her mother glanced over and nearly did a double take when she saw Marinette. Sabine smiled and waved her over. "Marinette, sweetie, come join us!"

Marinette walked over, eying the brunette woman with suspicion. "Hey… who's this?"

"This is Tessa, she's going to be working here part time on a trial period," Sabine explained. "I know you've been so stressed about school lately, and we wanted to take some of that pressure off you."

Tom grinned as well. He leaned in, as if telling Marinette a secret. "You'd be amazed at her cookies; they're almost as good as yours!"

Tessa covered her mouth and the laugh that came out of it. "Well I had an _amazing_ friend teach me," she explained.

"So… we're staying open?" Marinette asked. "After what happened yesterday?"

"It's fine, Marinette; Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of it," Sabine assured her.

"But what if they come back? That didn't look like something Hawkmoth could do."

Sabine nodded slowly, more than used to her daughter's anxiety and paranoia. "If they do, Ladybug and Chat Noir will stop them again," she declared. "That's the thing about heroes; they never let a single hit get them down. And neither will we."

Marinette couldn't help but smile at that. Her parents believed in her, in Ladybug. She wouldn't let them down.

Tom clapped Tessa's shoulder, that bright smile never leaving his face. "Now, let's get to work! We open in half an hour. Marinette, can you show Tessa how to wind the bread twists?"

"Yep," Marinette said with a nod. "C'mon, Tessa, we've gotta wash up before we handle any food."

She expected to feel Tessa's eyes on her as she washed her hands. She was supposed to be learning from her, and that extended to everything in the bakery, even something as simple as hand washing. But it felt… different. It was like a pair of eyes bored into her soul, dissecting her very being.

Marinette turned back when she was done and saw Tessa looking, but the softness of her eyes failed to lend to the feeling Marinette got. She forced a smile onto her face anyway; she didn't want to seem rude. "Your turn."

As Marinette dried her hands, the feeling of being watched didn't go away, even though Tessa was looking down at her hands as she cleaned them. Marinette glanced over her shoulder to see her parents setting up the display case. Facing away from her.

"So-"

Marinette jumped, jerking her head back to look at Tessa, now done washing and drying her hands and standing right in front of her.

Tessa offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know where to start."

"Right," Marinette breathed. "I'm… just a little jumpy today, I guess." She cleared her throat- hiding another cough- and walked over to the bakery's prep station. "So first, you're going to want to put flour on the counter. That'll keep the dough from sticking."

It took a few more breaths for Marinette to steady herself. She wasn't being watched. Madelaine wasn't attacking. It was just a normal morning at the shop and she was more than capable of handling it.

She and Tessa managed to work for a few hours before the other shoe dropped.

"That's one nasty cough you've got,' Tessa mentioned. Her eyes darted from the bread she was kneading to Marinette and back again. She didn't look up when she spoke again, voice somehow simultaneously hesitant and nonchalant. "Maybe you should take a break from being Ladybug for a little while."

Marinette's hands slipped, causing her to leave a palm-shaped dent in the bread dough. She couldn't move. Her heart raced and her legs felt like they were about to collapse out from under her. She had to do something. Why would Tessa ask that unless she was planning something? How did she know to begin with? Did Madelaine tell her?

Move, move- MOVE!

Her head jerked up, meeting Tessa's eyes. "What are you talking about?" That's right, Mari, play dumb. As long as she didn't admit to it, Tessa had nothing.

Tessa cleared her throat and leaned forward, reaching one hand out towards Marinette's ear. She couldn't help but jerk back, putting her hand up defensively to block Tessa's. Her heart raced in her chest, threatening to pound right out of it.

"So," Tessa said, pulling her hand back. "You gonna take a break? Let yourself heal?"

"Who told you?" Marinette demanded. "How did you find out? No one's supposed to know, the only ones are-" She caught herself. "None of your business."

Tessa pursed her lips for a moment, then went back to kneading the dough on the table. "I just don't want you to hurt yourself," she explained.

"I'm not," Marinette insisted. "But I still want answers. If you found me out, you owe me that. _And_ you owe me an explanation on how you got to the school yesterday and were able to fight all those knights."

"There are some things you're better off not knowing, Marinette," Tessa replied. "Besides, I'll be out of your hair before you know it."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows together. Theoretically, the claim should have alleviated her anxiety, but instead it spurred it. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You literally only just started in the bakery today. Why would you leave? Unless you're here to take my miraculous."

Tessa shook her head, a sigh escaping her. "I'm not gonna take anything from you by force," she promised. "But I do think they're putting you in danger now, and it's safer if you don't have them."

Marinette tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Tessa. "Because I'm going to listen to a random woman I've met twice, who mysteriously showed up in the middle of a fight Madelaine started, and then at my parents' business. That's not shady at all."

At least Tessa had the dignity to wince at that. "Okay, so I know it looks bad-"

"It looks like you're a supervillain, and if you lay a finger on the people I love, I don't care how screwed up my powers are right now. I'll end you." Marinette looked Tessa up and down before returning to her work.

* * *

Marinette was torn between relief and unrelenting stress when she finally left the bakery. Relief that she was away from Tessa, stress about leaving her with her parents. Surely Tessa wouldn't try anything; she was probably already in her parents' records and would become the prime suspect if anything happened. She was smart enough not to do that, right?

Right.

Part of Marinette wished she didn't have to go to this press conference, or at least that she hadn't told her parents she had plans with a friend so they'd make her stay. Well, they probably wouldn't, but she could pretend.

Marinette ducked around the corner and in between buildings, checking up and down the street for any possible interlopers. Finding no one, she opened her jacket. Still no Tikki. Was she lost? Did Madelaine have her? The questions were yet another stressor on Marinette's mind as she fretted over her missing kwami. But… she was a god, right? That meant she'd be okay. She had to be.

"Spots on," she finally muttered to herself, and the familiar pink light washed over her with the increasingly familiar sense of discontent.

Immediately, a cough escaped Ladybug, and she hunched over, clutching her stomach. "C'mon Ladybug," she whispered to herself. "You can do this." She straightened her back and looked up to the sky before jumping up, landing on the roof above in a crouch.

A little bit of movement seemed to help, and even though she was out of breath, she made it to the roof across from the conference venue without falling into a coughing fit. She paused, taking a moment to collect herself.

"You ready, bugaboo?"

Ladybug jumped, surprised by the company. She knew Chat was coming; why did she feel like she'd just watched a horror movie marathon?

Chat clearly noticed, his eyebrows furrowing together as he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, soft voice and gentle eyes reminding her that it was Adrien under that mask. "You still got that _bug_ from yesterday?"

There was her kitty. She gave him a scowl and shoved his shoulder, but there was no strength behind it. "You're the worst."

"But you love me anyway."

Ladybug sighed despite herself. "Yeah, I kind of do. Both the guy who makes my knees go weak and the guy I can count on to catch me when it happens."

She watched as a little blush appeared over Chat's cheeks. "I was the other guy?"

"Yeah," Ladybug breathed. "The guy who apologized for a misunderstanding and gave me his umbrella. That was the other guy." She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to confess what was coming next. "And if it wasn't for him, I might've fallen for the guy who saves my butt every fight."

"Funny," Chat mused, looking down at the ground. "I was so focused on my crush on my amazing partner that I kept on telling myself that the brave, creative class representative at my school was 'just a friend.'"

Ladybug reached out, cupping Chat's cheek. When he looked up, she pulled him in, planting a soft kiss on his lips. It was heaven. It was a long time coming.

It didn't last long.

Suddenly, Ladybug pulled back, unable to hold back the need to cough in her chest. She folded over, hand over mouth, while Chat pulled her into him to support her. Slowly, he lowered her so they were sitting, letting her work through the fit.

When it was over, Ladybug felt almost as weak as she had with the plague, leaning against Chat for support.

"Ladybug, you need to go home and rest," Chat ordered.

She lifted her head. "Like hell," she declared, voice hoarse from coughing. "I'm not making you go out there alone and deal with… _that_. You shouldn't have to do this, to tell the world your mom is a danger."

Chat shrugged and shook his head. "Well, I'll get to exonerate my father in the same breath," he assured her. "This is my family and all the more reason I should be the one speaking. The only thing you need to do is go home and sleep."

Ladybug hated to admit it, but the proposition was tempting. Her bed called to her from across the city, beckoning her to return. At least she probably wouldn't fall into a coughing fit while she was asleep.

A flash in her mind like lightning of the cataclysm-like energy surrounding her hand yesterday settled it for her. What if it happened again? What if she couldn't summon her lucky charm? That had no bearing on the press conference but put an insurmountable weight on her mind.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Chat nodded, a gentle smile on his face. "Of course I can," he promised. "Go home and rest, and we'll meet again on Monday. Go to Master Fu and get this all worked out."

Ladybug nodded. "You can do this, kitty. I believe in you."

"Do you need me to take you home?" Chat asked. "It's not the end of the world if I'm a little late to the press conference; they'll probably just assume I was saving a cat stuck in a tree or something."

Despite herself, Ladybug snorted. "If there's a cat stuck in a tree in Paris, it probably _is _you, kitty. I'll be fine; we don't want anyone worrying more than they already are."

Chat let out a sigh, and Ladybug knew he was wrestling with himself whether or not to fight her on it. "Okay," he finally relented. "But if anything feels wrong, call me."

"Always," Ladybug declared. She reached up, kissing him on the cheek before backing away. "Go on. You've got work to do."

"Right."

Ladybug watched as Chat Noir jumped down from the building and entered the press conference venue, making sure he got inside safely before she turned and headed back to her house. How she made it back to her room without falling into another coughing fit, she wasn't sure, but the second she fell onto her bed, a round of hacking escaped her, her lungs on fire.

Gradually, the fits faded until she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Not gonna lie, panicked!Marinette was fun to write because she's got a history of not handling certain stressors well (such as the phone thing), and I think any sort of implied (or implied in her head) threat against her family would earn that knee-jerk reaction that makes her appear more her age, as opposed to the matured superhero act she has to put on as Ladybug.


	30. The Great Paon

**The Great Paon**

So sorry for the delay on this! My computer crapped out and I haven't been able to access word since. This is an old copy I was finally able to get my hands on, but it's before the editing process. Hopefully I'll be able to replace this with the finalized version one day, but I didn't want to leave you guys waiting forever. Thanks for your patience! 3

* * *

Chat looked at his hastily-prepared speech, then up at the sea of reporters waiting for him to start. His heart pounded in his chest, and it felt like his blood had turned to ice. God, he wished Ladybug could do this. She was so much better at talking with the press.

No, the irony was not lost on him. The model, who spent hours a week in front of the camera, was nervous being in disguise in front of them. Well to that he said, he didn't have to answer questions when he was modeling, just stand there and look pretty. Ladybug knew how to answer questions. He didn't.

A sigh escaped him. The sooner he got this over, the better.

"Citizens of Paris, I am here today to update you regarding the situation involving Hawkmoth and his akumas," he began, his voice somehow sounding steadier than he felt. "The short version is that he is no longer a threat, but a larger one has risen in his place.

"There is an organization called the Order of the Guardians that seeks to obtain and control magical artifacts. Two years ago, they cast an apathy spell on Hawkmoth, causing him to begin sending out akumas in search of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous in the first place. As I said before, he is no longer a threat as the spell has been broken, but the Order is now seeking to gain the miraculous through other means.

"Some of you may know about a woman named Emilie Agreste, who went missing approximately two years ago. The reason she went missing is because she had information on the Order and was preparing to turn them into the police. The Order kidnapped her and, using magic, replaced her memories with those of a deceased woman in the United States, Helena Oxley. When she grew suspicious of her own identity and returned to Paris, the Order again attempted to kidnap her and alter her memories.

"Instead, her body has been inhabited by the ghost of an associate of the Order from the 1200s, Madelaine Foy. She has similar but non-identical goals as them, and if she is spotted, I ask that you please do not engage. She has magical abilities and will kill anyone who gets in her way. Ladybug, Hawkmoth, and I are hard at work finding a way to stop her and return Emilie Agreste to her family. I will now open the floor to any questions you may have."

* * *

Gabriel elected to take Adrien out to dinner that night, as a way to distract him from the press conference and all the other stresses in his life at that moment.

It wasn't working, Adrien thought as his leg bounced up and down under the table. A sense of foreboding overwhelmed him, threatening to send him into a full-blown anxiety attack if he wasn't careful. Despite the calm, light atmosphere of Le Grand Paris, he couldn't stop stressing, couldn't get himself off high-alert.

"Hello, boys," a sing-song voice cooed, and Adrien froze in his seat. A quick glance at his father confirmed that he had the exact same reaction.

Slowly, Adrien turned his head, watching as Madelaine pulled a chair up and spun it around so the back faced their table. She sat backwards in it, legs straddling it.

"Having dinner and you didn't even invite me." Madelaine made a tsking sound with her tongue. "Disrespectful."

"You're a monster," Gabriel whispered. "Let my wife go and move on; you had your life, now give her back hers."

Madelaine gave a Cheshire grin and burst out laughing. "Oh, you think I've had a life?" she asked. "Running from the Order, hiding my abilities?" She scoffed. "No, any semblance of a life was taken from me by them and by her. I'm driving this bitch now."

"Why are you here?" Adrien demanded.

Madelaine sighed and tilted her head. "Now is that any way to talk to your mother?"

Adrien shook his head. "You're not my mother," he spat. "Now get out or be prepared to give yourself up to the police."

"The police?" Madelaine asked, an amused look on her face. "Please, they're no more useful now than they were in my time." She plucked Gabriel's wine off the table and took a sip. Lowering it, she said, "Let me tell you how this is gonna go: I'm gonna take the kid, and you're gonna let me, or more people are gonna die."

"Over my dead body."

In the blink of an eye, Gabriel picked up his steak knife and stabbed it into Madelaine's shoulder. She cried out in pain, stumbling back and raising a hand to the blade sticking out of her body.

"Ah!" she cried out. She'd managed to go through the whole conversation without drawing any attention, but now all eyes were on her. "Oh, it hurts! It-" Any illusion of pain disappeared, and she stood up straight, a smirk on her face. "You really thought that would work?" She pulled the knife out of her shoulder, and the wound and her clothes instantly repaired themselves.

Madelaine laughed and pointed the knife at Gabriel, but he was too far away for her to cut him. She spoke again, projecting her voice so everyone in the room could hear her. "You know, I was gonna let you get away with just all these people's deaths on your conscience, but now you've pissed me off. Really, Gabriel? A steak knife? I would have thought the great Paon could do better- then again, you did fuck up enough that Mayura got your miraculous." She walked up again, sitting back down in the chair, and she drove the knife a third of the way through the table. "It must kill you, knowing you're the reason a supervillain got their powers."

"Leave them alone, Madelaine."

All three of them turned to see Ladybug standing by the entrance to the restaurant.

"Aw, the cavalry's arrived," Madelaine cooed. She looked her over and hummed. "And still no kwami, not that I'm surprised. It'll be at least a hundred years before she's strong enough to go back in those stupid earrings, and by that time… well… you'll be long dead even if you don't keep trying to use her powers."

As if on cue, Ladybug coughed, putting a hand on her chest and making a strained face like she was in pain. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I thought you took her."

"Your kwami ditched ya, sweetheart," Madelaine declared simply. "And every time you try to use her powers, you'll get weaker and sicker until you're just a husk."

Ladybug took in a shaky breath and stood up straight, a mask of determination on her face. "I just need to defeat you once," she replied. "After that, none of this will matter. Paris will be safe."

Madelaine grinned and laughed again. "Oh, you're too cute. And really naive." She yanked the steak knife out of the table and threw it at Ladybug, but she dodged and moved behind a table, kicking it onto its side to act as a shield.

"Everyone out!" Ladybug shouted, shooing the civilians away as she moved further into the building, pushing the table along as she went.

Adrien didn't hesitate, hopping on Madelaine's back to distract her, only to get flipped over onto the floor on his back. He moaned in pain, unable to get his bearings for a moment because of it. He rolled over onto his stomach, groping around for a weapon.

His fingers wrapped around the handle of a knife, knocked from its table in the fray. He looked up, seeing Madelaine facing off against his father, wielding a knife of his own with expert ability. But for every stroke and stab he made, Madelaine deflected with expertise of her own. Even with Ladybug throwing her yoyo around, temporarily incapacitating one of Madelaine's arms or legs, she kept fighting like they were nothing but a couple of gnats.

Adrien lurched froward and slammed his knife down, impaling her foot.

Madelaine let out a cry of rage and surprise and, maybe even a little pain, and leaned down, plucking the knife from her foot. Even the interruption in her rhythm wasn't enough to throw Madelaine off, and she used the knife to start fighting back.

Ladybug fell back with a poorly-timed coughing fit, and Madelaine cut a slash into Gabriel's arm. He stumbled and Adrien jumped up, picking up the first thing in his reach- a knife- and throwing it at Madelaine. It hit her in the head and she turned, glaring daggers at him.

"Fine," she said. "You've got a death wish? Death is what you'll get."

Madelaine lunged at him, and Adrien winced, bracing himself for the knife, but it never came. He opened his eyes, and instead of Madelaine, he saw the back of the brunette woman from the fight the day before, a knife run through her hand.

Slowly, the woman grabbed the knife and removed it, and just like Madelaine's wounds, it healed as though nothing had happened. "Leave them alone, Madelaine," she growled.

A smirk wound its way onto Madelaine's face, vicious and cruel and so unlike anything Adrien had ever seen on his mother. "So I guess you're Tikki," she said, looking the brunette up and down. "It's about time you came to collect your brat." She glanced over to Ladybug, and Adrien's blood drained from his face when he saw her lying there, prone and barely conscious, breaths shallow and labored.

"This isn't over," the woman- Tikki- growled, backing up and pushing Adrien behind her.

"Counting on it, sis," Madelaine replied, and then she was gone, running back through the kitchen as an escape route.

The second Madelaine was out of sight, Tikki ran up to Ladybug, scooping her up in her arms, and Gabriel ran to Adrien, checking him for injuries.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked. He pushed Adrien's bangs away from his face to check for cuts and bruises.

Adrien nodded, wrapping his arms around his father's torso and burying his face in his chest. "I'm okay," he choked out. As soon as the hug began though, Adrien, pulled away, looking to Tikki, who now had a limp Ladybug in a bridal carry.

"You two do what you have to out there," she ordered. "I'm going to take her to your place so we can regroup."

Both Gabriel and Adrien nodded their assent, and just like Madelaine, Tikki and Ladybug were gone.

* * *

It was a testament to Gabriel's underutilized people skills that neither he nor Adrien were taken down to the police station for a statement, especially when Madelaine had revealed that he was a freaking superhero over a decade ago, and his miraculous had ended up in the hands of a villain.

Instead, they were home within the hour, exhausted and sore. Gabriel's arm had been bandaged by the EMTs on the scene, and the eyes on them both felt like a million lasers burning into his skin. Emilie was his mom, Gabriel's wife. That meant Madelaine was, too.

He heard whispers, both saying how sad it must have been for them and how they must have been helping Madelaine. Plagg did his best to tune them out by hiding in his collar and talking about camembert whenever he was isolated enough. But Adrien knew he wouldn't feel better until he was back home and sure Marinette was safe.

As he trudged into the den, his eyes went straight to the two women in the room. Marinette was weakly struggling against Tikki as she tried to rub her forehead with a wet washcloth, and Tikki looked ready to cry at the sight of her weakened chosen.

Marinette finally glanced over to them, eyes going wide. With what Adrien could only describe as insurmountable effort, she got up past Tikki and stumbled away, leaning on the arm of the couch. "She's working with Madelaine," she said.

"What?" Adrien asked, eyebrows furrowing together in his confusion. "No, Marinette, that's Tikki. She just saved all three of us."

Slowly, Marinette turned back, looking at her humanized kwami in awe. "Tikki?"


	31. What's My Name?

**What's My Name?**

Tikki gave Marinette a sheepish smile and a wave. "Hi, Marinette," she said, voice meek. She cleared her throat, as if the brief moment it took to do that would provide her enough time to gather her strength. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you outright."

Marinette frowned, looking her kwami over. "Why didn't you?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Something ached in her chest, deep down beyond what she could ever imagine. She'd felt the sadness of betrayal before, sure; she felt it every time one of her friends was forced to fight against her in the form of akumas, but this was different. This cut through to her soul.

Tikki looked away, tears filling her eyes. "I was going to try to fix it before you had to do anything."

"Fix it?" Marinette parroted. "How? How can you fix this, Tikki?" She shook her head. "You heard Madelaine; it takes a hundred years for kwamis to get enough energy to go back to their miraculous."

"Plagg and I have a... a shortcut, I guess you could say. A cheat that neither of us told anyone about. Not the Guardians, not our past holders, not the other kwamis," Tikki explained. "It only works with the two of us because we were the first and the most powerful."

Marinette nodded slowly, listening to Tikki's words. "So you just... what? Weren't gonna tell me? Let me think I got Madelaine's plague again and was going to die?"

"I tried to get you to stop-"

"By coming up to me in one of the most intimidating ways possible!" Marinette snapped. "I was scared to leave you alone with my parents because I was afraid you might kill them. I thought you were working with Madelaine!"

Tikki leaned back, curling in on herself a bit. "What?" she asked softly. "Oh, Marinette, I'm so sorry. I never thought that would be something you would think of-"

"She poisoned me!" Marinette winced, a hand going to her chest. After a second's recovery, she went on, voice betraying her complete and utter exhaustion. "When my mind went back in time, Madelaine could see me. And she said she'd get her revenge, so she poisoned me. It wasn't some random turn of fate it was a targeted attack. And she did it again that night when she sent those men."

"I'm sorry," Tikki whispered.

"So am I."

Marinette didn't allow herself another second to think on it, removing the earrings and slamming them down on the coffee table. "Good luck getting back in the earrings." She spun on her heel and marched out of the room.

"Marinette, wait!"

She stopped, turning to look at Adrien when she heard his voice. "What is it, Adrien? I'm tired and my lungs hurt and I just want to go home and sleep."

Adrien didn't respond at first, though it could definitely be argued that the pity on his face was response enough. When he finally found his voice, he said, "I'm sorry for everything my mom did to you."

Marinette scoffed and shook her head. "Madelaine isn't your mom, Adrien. Emilie is. And we're gonna get her back."

A small smile formed on Adrien's face. "So we're still a team?" He held up a fist to her.

Despite herself, Marinette lifted her fist as well. "You know, we're supposed to save this for after we win."

Adrien shrugged. "Semantics… Pound it?"

"Pound it." Marinette bumped her knuckles against his. "I'll see you later, Adrien, I just… need some space. Especially from Tikki."

"I understand," Adrien replied with a nod. "I felt the same way after I found out about my dad. But it gets better, okay? I promise."

Marinette nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes, unaware of when they even showed up in the first place. "Thank you, Adrien, for everything. You're the best partner a superheroine could ask for."

"I do my best, milady."

Slowly, reluctantly, Marinette pulled away and left the mansion, headed towards her house.

But she didn't stop there. Instead, she kept walking until she reached a corner store.

A bell rang as she opened the door, but she paid it no mind- not because it was just part of the background of everyday life, but because the blood pounding in her ears made hearing anything else next to impossible.

She meandered about the store, picking up the items on her list one by one. All the while, she felt her heart slamming into her chest. Was this what a heart attack felt like?

When she was done, she set them down on the cashier's counter. "Just these, please."

The cashier looked down at her items, then back up at her. "Um... these?"

Marinette glanced down as well. "Yep," she squeaked. "Just this."

Reluctantly, the cashier rang up the items, putting them in a bag behind the counter after each one. When they were all done, Marinette slid her card across the counter, a meek smile on her face.

"Um... ah..." The cashier slowly handed her back her card and bag. "Don't... do anything stupid, okay, kid?"

"I won't," Marinette promised. And she wasn't. Her plan totally wasn't stupid, it was going to save the day it was-

Horribly, impossibly, monumentally stupid.

* * *

When Marinette got to the bridge, she took a cursory glance around to make sure she was alone. No one else was there, undoubtedly all hiding in their homes after Madelaine's latest attacks.

Good. She didn't want any witnesses for this.

Marinette glanced down at the sandbags and rope she'd picked up from the store and let out a shaky breath. Her lungs still burned from all her coughing, and she wasn't sure how this would end. But she had to try.

She tied the bags to her ankles, then her arms, and recited the words from memory.

In aqua,  
Ita ut inveniam  
A protector est, custos  
Ut salvificem mundum ab his  
Qui enim nocere potest, ut velit

With that, she dropped into the water.

* * *

Marinette wasn't sure when she blacked out. But suddenly she was surrounded by white, standing in a temple. She looked around, searching out any sign of her target.

"Oh lookie here, we have a wannabe guardian."

Marinette spun around to see a man in ancient clothing, the likes of which Marinette had never seen. His imposing figure was at least three times Marinette's size, maybe even four or five. Generally, big guys didn't scare her- she had her father to thank for that- but this... this was different.

"You're the one who gives the test?" she asked.

The man smirked and gave an over-dramatic bow. "At your service," he said.

Marinette nodded. "Okay," she breathed. "How do I begin?"

"Every guardian gets a different test," the man explained. "Each is suited to who they are as a person and who they'll be as a guardian. You get three riddles. Solve them all and you're a guardian. Get even one wrong and you're dead."

"Fun," Marinette sighed. "Let's get started; I know time works differently here, but I don't think I want to be in the water any longer than possible."

The man smirked. "Alright then. You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again you don't see a single person on the boat. Why?"

Marinette pursed her lips and furrowed her brows together. It was just like being Ladybug, she reasoned. She came up with answers to weird puzzles all the time. This was no different.

The answer came to her. "They're all married."

The man raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Well done. Your second question is this: There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?"

Marinette thought the question over. A house that you enter blind and come out seeing... a hospital? No, this man was ancient. Hospitals wouldn't have had that ability then unless there was magic involved- then again, kwamis were involved. But the riddle seemed familiar.

Maybe a book? Yeah, she'd definitely read it in a book. Or a poster? Or Tikki!

"A school!" the answer popped into Marinette's mind. She grinned, unable to stop the pride in her chest. Or maybe it wasn't pride. The burning in her lungs had increased suddenly, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

The man smirked at her. "Looks like you may be a guardian yet... but you still have one more. So riddle me this: What I'm saying to you is a lie. Do you trust what I tell you?"

Marinette frowned, a million possible answers running through her mind. She took a deep breath, but her lungs burned again. She coughed, putting a hand on her chest. "Am I getting sick again?"

The man shrugged. "You tell me."

Why was this happening? She was Ladybug, dammit! Solving problems was her thing...

And if this guy knew everything about her, he'd know that. He'd do something a little harder for her test. "What's my name?" she asked, her voice coming out raspy.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What? Is? My name?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Why would that matter?" he asked.

A smirk worked its way onto Marinette's face. "I know the answer to the riddle," she declared. "And I'm outta here."

* * *

Marinette woke up under water. She immediately began struggling, fighting her way up, but her found herself held down. She glanced down, spotting the sand bags still tied to her. She swam back down, fighting against the knots to no avail.

Her lungs already burned from being underwater for so long, and it took everything she had not to take a breath. Spots danced in her vision before finally fading to black.


End file.
